Injured Primoz Roglic abandons Tour de France for second straight year

"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.