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 .

"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.

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.

Meanwhile, Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans could yet compete in the time trial at the Beijing Olympics after the International Cycling Union (UCI) handed Australia a wild card for the event.

The rider, who would have been a medal contender, pulled out on Thursday after injuring his knee when he slipped on a wet floor at a team dinner in Paris at the weekend.

Evans had been the sole Australian qualifier for the time trial and was replaced by three-times world champion Michael Rogers.

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates told a news conference yesterday, however, that Evans was still hoping to compete in both the time trial and road race now that a second place had become available.