Citing illness, Canadian rider Mike Woods has pulled out of Sunday's Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal.

Israel-Premier Tech said the 38-year-old from Ottawa has been "suffering from illness in the past week and will require surgery for a hernia, which has made racing impossible."

Sunday's 209.1-kilometre race in Montreal follows a 216-kilometre race Friday in Quebec City.

Woods was only scheduled to compete in Montreal, with the event slated to be his swansong.

Woods announced his retirement plans in an August blog.

"I am now 11 years deep into doing this sport as a profession, and another two as an amateur," he wrote. "The toll it has taken on my health has been significant, and the time I have spent away from my family has been long."

"As they say, though, all good things must come t

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