A day on from his second crash in as many stages at the Tour de France, Primož Roglič has pulled out of the race ahead of Friday’s stage 13.
His Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team confirmed that Roglič abandoned the Tour de France before the expected sprint stage to Pau, with the Pyrenees looming at the weekend.
"He had two crashes and the impact on his body was just too much to continue," Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team director Rolf Aldag said.
"We can rule out concussion and fractures but then he had a massive impact from two crashes in a row, and that does not make us believe it is right to continue.
"We as a team feel super sorry for him. He said goodbye to the team at the team bus this morning. He wished everybody luck and thanked everybody for their support, both riders and staff."
Roglič, who before stage 12 lay fourth overall at 2:15, was one of multiple riders who hit the deck 12.2km from the end of Thursday’s race to Villeneuve-sur-Lot. He crossed the finish line sporting road rash and a torn jersey at 2:27 down on the peloton and ended the day in sixth overall, 4:42 behind race leader Tadej Pogačar.
Before the crash, Aldag said, the team were optimistic for the upcoming stages in the Pyrenees.
"I think stage 11 was one that really made us really optimistic for the upcoming mountain days. That was where we had seen Primož with self-confidence, a maximum fighting spirit and a very positive attitude, with a team believing in him and I think that was a very, very good stage for us.
"We approached the other stages pretty conservatively. Everybody has seen that we just wanted to get through it. So when we were about to kick off the Tour, ready to go, unfortunately, the Tour ended for Primož."
The news of Roglič’s withdrawal now leaves Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe with six riders for the remainder of the Tour, having already lost Aleksandr Vlasov to a broken ankle following a crash on stage 10.
The team’s best-placed rider in the general classification is now Jai Hindley, who lies at 18th overall at 19:25.
Aldag said the remaining team in the Tour de France would need to find new goals
"We have six world-class riders here and there's still a lot to do, and the Tour isn’t over until Nice. Today is a chance for a breakaway. Tomorrow is a mountain stage, which maybe isn't controlled the whole time.
"So we have to reset, out of respect for the race, out of respect for all these guys, who spent 10 weeks away from home with altitude camps and preparation. You shouldn’t give up on that and define your goals."
His team hasn’t yet confirmed news of Roglič’s future plans, though it’s likely that the Slovenian will now turn his focus to the Vuelta a España and a bid at a record-equalling fourth title at the race he won three times between 2019 and 2021.
Roglič's withdrawal from the 2024 Tour means that he now hasn't completed any of his last three Tour starts and has finished just three of his seven most recent Grand Tours.
The 34-year-old left the 2021 and 2022 Tours after battling on for days following crashes in the first week, while at the 2022 Vuelta, he was forced out of the race from second place following a crash just four days from Madrid.
"I think he really is followed by bad luck but what is impressive about him, he always fights back," Aldag said.
"The Primož that I have seen from my side, and people are starting to get to know, is a super strong fighter.
"If you think back to his first career as a ski jumper, then he changed his sport, goes to another sport and is still world-class and an achiever, achieving things that hardly a handful of riders ever achieved in history."
