LONDON -- Sprint specialist Mario Cipollini has announced his retirement from cycling following his team's failure to secure an invite to compete in this year's Tour de France. The Italian announced his retirement in a statement on his website on Tuesday which said: "The bitterness of not being able to compete for victory leads me to take this drastic decision to say enough with cycling."

Cipollini's Acqua and Sapone team failed to earn themselves an invite to the tour and it was not yet clear if Cipollini planned to retire immediately or after the racing season.

In 1999, he became the first rider since 1948 to capture three consecutive stages of the Tour de France and the 35-year-old has been in magnificent form this season.

He took six stages of the Giro d'Italia -- taking his overall tally to 40 -- and won the Milan-San Remo Classic and the Gand-Wevelgem race.

Cipollini added he would hold a news conference over the next few days to explain the decision, Reuters reported.

As his country's best sprinter, Cipollini had been expected to be the Italians' best hope of winning a gold medal at the world championships in Portugal later this year.