One day after the second crash, Tour de France, Primoz Roglic He withdrew from the race ahead of Friday’s 13th Stage.
Roglic’s team, Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe, confirmed that he had withdrawn from the Tour de France ahead of the sprint stage to Pau, with the Pyrenees mountain range looming this weekend.
“He had two crashes and the trauma to his body was too great for him to continue the race,” Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe team director Rolf Aldag said.
“We can rule out a concussion or broken bones, but after the two consecutive accidents and the massive trauma I’ve suffered I don’t think it’s right for me to continue racing.”
“The whole team feels very sorry for him. He said his farewell to the team on the team bus this morning. He wished everyone good luck and thanked both riders and staff for their support.”
Roglic, who was in fourth place overall with a time of 2 minutes 15 seconds before the 12th stage, was one of several riders who retired 12.2km from the end of the stage. Thursday’s race to Villeneuve-sur-LotHe crossed the finish line 2 minutes 27 seconds behind the pack with scrapes and a torn jersey, and finished the day in 6th place overall, 4 minutes 42 seconds behind the race leader. Tadej Pogacar.
Aldag said before the accident the team had been optimistic about the upcoming stages in the Pyrenees.
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“I think Stage 11 was a real optimistic stage for the upcoming mountain races. Primoz was full of confidence, showed great spirit and a very positive attitude, and the team trusted him. I think it was a very, very good stage for us.”
“On the other stages we were very cautious. Everyone knew we just wanted to get it done. So just when we were ready to start the Tour, unfortunately for Primoz it was over.”
The news of Roglic’s withdrawal leaves Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe with just six riders for the remainder of the Tour, having already lost six. Alexander Vlasov crashes and breaks his ankle on Stage 10.
The team’s highest ranked rider currently is Jay Hindley, who is in 18th place overall with a time of 19 minutes 25 seconds.
Aldag said teams remaining in the Tour de France needed to find new goals.
“We have six world-class riders here but there is still a lot of work to do. The Tour doesn’t finish until Nice. Today is a chance to break away. Tomorrow is a mountain stage and we won’t be in control all the time.”
“So, out of respect for the race and for all the athletes who have been away from home for 10 weeks, training at altitude and preparing, we have to reset. We have to not give up and set goals.”
The team is yet to announce Roglic’s future plans, but the Slovenian will Vuelta a Espana It’s a race he won three times between 2019 and 2021, and he’s aiming for a record-tying fourth victory.
Roglic’s withdrawal from the 2024 Tour means he has not finished any of his last three Tours and has only finished three of the last seven Grand Tours.
The 34-year-old has withdrawn from both the 2021 and 2022 Tours after continuing to fight for days after crashing in the first week, and in the 2022 Vuelta he crashed just four days before Madrid, forcing him to withdraw from the race from second place.
“I think he’s had some really bad luck, but the great thing about him is he always fights back,” Aldag said.
“The Primoz that I’ve seen, and people are starting to get to know, is a super strong fighter.
“If you look back at his first career as a ski jumper, he changed disciplines, he moved to another sport and he’s still a world-class athlete, achieving something that only a handful of athletes in history have achieved.”
