MILAN, Italy, March 19, 2010 (AFP) – Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will not take part in the season opening Milan-Sanremo classic because he is suffering from gastroenteritis, his RadioShack team said Friday.

Armstrong, 38, will be replaced by team-mate Fumiyuki Beppu.

“It would have been good to have Lance in the line-up for the start by we prefer not to take any risk,” team director Johan Bruyneel said.

“It would not be very intelligent to let him start in a race of almost 300 kilometres while not being healthy.”