Illness forces Baxter to put cycling debut on hold

FORMER skier Alain Baxter has had to put his competitive cycling career on hold after a bout of flu forced him to withdraw from this week's national track championships in Manchester.

STRIPPED: Alain Baxter captured slalom bronze in Salt Lake City before failing a doping test for using a nasal spray

The 35-year-old was due to go head-to-head with Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy in the sprint on Thursday and the Keirin on Saturday.

Baxter - from Aviemore - was stripped of slalom bronze at the 2002 Winter Olympics after failing a doping test for using a nasal spray.

But despite his cycling setback the Edinburgh-born star insists his withdrawal was the only option.

"I'm disappointed, obviously but I wanted to be 100 per cent going into my first competition," said Baxter.

"I've been training all summer but I came down with something on Saturday and I spoke to the doctor today and was told I probably shouldn't race.

"It was not ideal preparations for a race but that's the way it goes sometimes."

Baxter is yet to make a decision on when he will now make his competitive velodrome debut, but it could come at one of the Revolution series events, which begin on November 14.