Tinkoff Saxo cyclist Ivan Basso has announced his withdrawal from the Tour de France after being diagnosed with testicular cancer.

The Italian discovered the lump after injuring his testicle in a crash on day five, and underwent a scan following yesterday's team time trial.

The 37-year-old said at a press conference: "Unfortunately I have a bad announcement. I have a small cancer in my left testicle, so you can understand that I have to go back to Italy. We discovered this just two hours ago."

Teammate Alberto Contador added: "It's a very tough blow to the whole team, we never imagined a day like this. Ivan and I have spent 120 of the past 180 days together. I'm sure we'll be together to celebrate in Paris."

The two-time Giro d'Italia winner claimed the young rider classification in the 2002 Tour de France.