Cancellara pulls out of Tour

Fabian Cancellara has quit the Tour de France less than a week after wearing the yellow jersey to be at the birth of his second child.

The RadioShack-Nissan rider led the Tour until Saturday's stage seven when Brit Bradley Wiggins took over at the top of the general classification.

But Cancellara said seeing his wife give birth was 'more important' than any cycling trophy.

"I am not only a bike rider," Cancellara said in a statement released by RadioShack-Nissan on Thursday.

"I am also a husband and father with another baby on the way.

"It is my personal wish to be present when my wife Stefanie gives birth to our second child.

"That 'trophy' is more important than another Tour stage win or an Olympic medal.

"I already need to thank my wife for her patience with me during the last month in her pregnancy that has been difficult at times.

"The least I can do is to assist her in these difficult days."

Cancellara won the Tour's prologue on June 30 and held the yellow jersey for six stages.

While the 31-year-old Swiss was unlikely to remain a contender to win the event as the Tour heads into the mountains, he admitted it was tough to leave his team.

"The decision to go back home is harder than you might expect," Cancellara said.

"Up to now the team has had a very good Tour de France.

"We won a stage, had the yellow jersey for more than a week, we lead the teams' classification and we have four riders in the top twenty of the GC."

Cancellara will also spend his time away from the Tour preparing for the Olympic Games.

He is the reigning Olympic champion in the men's road time trial and finished second in the road race in Beijing.