Romain Bardet and James Shaw are the fourth and fifth dropouts from stage 14 of the Tour de France after the French all-rounder and British Tour debutant fell early in the stage.
TV footage showed dsm Firmenich leader Bardet being helped to his feet after falling on a fast, sweeping descent from the first climb of the day, the third category Col de Saxel. The Frenchman was reportedly suffering from knee and elbow injuries.
Several teammates were waiting for Bardet but the 32-year-old was unable to continue. At the start of the day he was 12th overall.
Shaw, EF-Education’s EasyPost driver, is also said to have given up after being involved in the same accident. The Brit became the second EF rider to retire on stage 14 after Esteban Chaves was one of three riders forced to leave the Tour due to the pile-up in the opening kilometers.
Bardet had already endured a very difficult tour having contracted a bronchial infection early in the second week. He finished 19th at the summit finish of the Grand Colombier on Friday.
“When it gets hard, I get coughing fits,” he told L’Equipe on stage. “The Tour is very tough when you’re not at 100%.”
Fifth in the Tour de Suisse, Bardet appeared to be in good form going into the race. Sixth overall last year, Bardet already has three Tour stages under his palmarès, including Sunday’s summit at Mont-Blanc, where he won in 2016 and finished second to Chris Froome in Paris.
Shaw, meanwhile, has twice paused during the Tour, finishing fifth on stage five to Cauterets and seventh on Friday’s stage 13 to Grand Colombier.