Wout Poels will not defend his Liège-Bastogne-Liège title, Team Sky confirmed via a press release Tuesday.
Poels claimed Sky's first-ever Monument victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2016, but a nagging knee injury will force him to miss the three Ardennes Classics: the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallone and Liège.
Knee pain has sidelined the 29-year-old Dutchman since the end of February, scuttling his plan to race Paris-Nice after a nice run of early results.
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"It's been a tough time because I've been on the bike, off the bike, on the bike," Poels said via the release.
"Everybody knows you need to have done a certain amount of work to be super good in the Ardennes Classics. If you've not put the hours in and done the long days – Liège-Bastogne-Liège is more than 250km – then you won't do well."
For Poels, the break from racing has been particularly frustrating after a strong start that saw him among the top five overall at the Volta a Valencia and the Ruta del Sol.
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