Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Injured Primoz Roglic abandons Tour de France for second straight year

Primoz Roglic will now turn his attention recovery and potentially the Vuelta a Espana
Primoz Roglic will now turn his attention recovery and potentially the Vuelta a EspanaReuters
Slovenian Primoz Roglic (32) has abandoned the Tour de France to recover from injuries sustained in a crash during the first week of the race, the 2020 runner-up said on Sunday.

"To allow my injuries to heal properly, we have decided that I won't start today," Roglic said before the start of the 15th stage, a 202.5-km ride to Caracssonne.

Roglic, who suffered a dislocated shoulder and multiple bruises when he crashed in the fifth stage in northern France, sacrificed his own chances this week with repeated attacks that eventually allowed his teammate Jonas Vingegaard (25) to take the overall lead from defending champion Tadej Pogacar (23).

"I’m proud of my contribution to the current standings and I trust that the team will realise our yellow (jersey) and green (jersey for the points classification) ambitions," Roglic added.

Roglic may now focus on recovering to take part in the Vuelta a Espana and gun for a fourth consecutive title, which starts next month.

The abandon of Roglic means Vingegaard loses a key helper in the mountains. He will now lean on the green jersey wearer of Wout Van Aert, Sepp Kuss and Steven Kruijswijk for assistance in the final week of the Tour, as the race heads to the Pyrenees next week.