After taking yellow just two days ago, Torstein Træen lost the lead and then was forced to retire from the Tour de France due to injuries he suffered on a crash on stage six.
According to a team statement, Træen suffered multiple fractured ribs and concussion after a crashing on the descent of the Col du Tourmalet.
"This is really not the ending we wanted for the yellow adventure," said the team's general manager Thor Hushovd.
The crash took place with around 30km to go, after a rampaging attack by Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) had already put Træen well in arrears. He managed to finish the stage, albeit 29:55 down on the Slovenian stage winner, his yellow jersey stint well and truly put to bed.
In fact, he crossed the line with a smile on his face, perhaps because of the rousing welcome he was given by the still-waiting fans.
Speaking briefly to reporters afterwards, Træen said at the time he wasn't sure whether he would continue the Tour de France.
"We have to see what the x-ray shows for now," he said, before the medical report was relased. "My head is hurting a bit, and then obviously my ribs are not super fine, so we just have to see,"
Asked about how he managed to survive the rest of the stage, which comprised the rest of the descent and the cat-two climb up to Gavarnie-Gèdre, he revealed that he and Anders Halland Andersen had joked about sprinting for the line.
"I was joking with Anders that we will sprint for it," he said. "I don't know if he would let me win or not, but at least we can still enjoy it, even though it was not the best day."
The big mountains of stage six from Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre were always going to prove a hurdle, but Træen probably hadn't reckoned on crashing hard on the descent of the Tourmalet.
It was some time before the Uno-X Mobility rider eased himself gingerly back into the saddle, after clipping wheels with Halland Johannessen in a hairpin, the bike flipping over and dumping him hard on the tarmac.
But he had already lost a lot of time and, crash or no crash, his tenure in yellow would have come to an end at Gavarnie-Gèdre.
Træen, who also wore the leader's jersey in last year's Vuelta a España, had taken the jersey on stage four in Foix after being part of a major breakaway that finished almost 13 minutes ahead of the peloton.
After that stage Pogačar said he could end up holding the lead for a long time. Perhaps the Slovenian decided he was missing it, or maybe he didn't expect to beat Træen by so much. Either way, the jersey is back with a more familiar caretaker this evening.
