PARIS, Sept 30, 2009 (AFP) – British sprint sensation Mark Cavendish has pulled out of Paris-Tours, the road sprint classic on October 11, his Columbia team announced on Wednesday.

Cavendish, who won six stages at this year’s Tour de France, had already withdrawn from the world championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland with a lung infection.

The Isle of Mann rider recently pulled out of September’s Tour of Missouri after two stage wins with the same problem.