Michael Rogers struggling to make Tour de France start

MICHAEL Rogers' worst fears were realised today when doctors in  Italy confirmed he is suffering from a strain of glandular fever.

Michael Rogers

MICHAEL Rogers' worst fears were realised today when doctors in northern Italy confirmed he is suffering from a strain of glandular fever known as Cytomegalovirus.

The 31-year-old father of three daughters from Canberra, who withdrew during stage two of the Tour of Bavaria last weekend, is heading to Team Sky's Manchester headquarters later tonight for a battery of medical tests.

"I'm feeling crook," a dejected Rogers said today when contacted at his Varese, Italy home.

"It's the third time I've had the illness since 2008 and my second relapse.

"As to when I can get back on my bike and start racing again is another question.

"It could be three weeks or two months, I just don't know at this stage.

"Hopefully the Sky doctors in Manchester will have a better idea.

"All I want to be able to do is try and salvage something out of this season."

Rogers, a three-time world time trial champion, had been off his bike since the start of April with symptoms of the fever.

"I was looking forward to getting some solid racing into my legs in Bavaria," he said.

"The problem was that I only did some low level intensity training leading up to the start and we went into a 230km stage first up and I soon realised something was not quite right."

Rogers abandoned the race late into stage two.

Australian-born Team Sky coach Shane Sutton described Rogers as "feeling real crook".

"This latest setback is a major blow. We had him pencilled-in to race the Tour of Switzerland as his final hit out before the Tour de France," Sutton said.

"Even though he's been off his bike for a big chunk of the season, just having him around the team is a boost for the blokes.

"Hopefully these tests in Manchester will get to the bottom of his problem and maybe, just maybe you'll see him on the start line in Brittany."

Rogers hasn't given up hope yet on being on the start line with Team Sky in Brittany for the start of the Tour de France in the first week of July.

"I'd love to be there, but at this stage I'm not really sure, too hard to tell," Rogers said.

"Fingers crossed I hope the English doctors in Manchester can come up with a solution.

"I'm feeling frustrated that just when I think I'm ready to race, this happens."

Meanwhile, Rogers has confirmed that he has requested Cycling Australia, through the Australian Olympic Committee, to ask the IOC to award him the bronze medal he was denied at the Athens Olympics following Tyler Hamilton's admission of doping.

"Right now I believe the medal belongs to me," he said. "I'm angry because the experience of not having stood on the podium in Athens has gone forever.

"It's irritating because I'll never be able to turn back the clock and experience the thrill of standing on the podium at the medal presentation."