Olympics-Cycling-Cunego withdraws from Italian team

ROME, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Damiano Cunego withdrew from Italy's Olympic road race cycling team on Saturday because he is still suffering the effects of a nasty fall on last month's Tour de France.

The 26-year-old former Giro d'Italia winner made the decision together with Italy coach Franco Ballerini after struggling in Saturday's Clasica San Sebastian, the Italian Cycling Federation said on its website (www.federciclismo.it).

"While I was pedalling in the Clasica San Sebastian I continued to have the breathing difficulties and headaches that have accompanied me in training since the fall on the Tour," Cunego was quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport's website (www.gazzetta.it).

The federation said Cunego will now concentrate on preparing for September's world championships in the northern Italian city of Varese.

Italian Olympic team members Davide Rebellin, Paolo Bettini and Franco Pellizotti finished third, fourth and fifth respectively in the San Sebastian race, which was won by Spain's Alejandro Valverde. (Reporting by Paul Virgo, editing by Rex Gowar) (For more stories visit our multimedia website "Road to Beijing" here; and see our blog at blogs.reuters.com/china)