A day after his second crash in as many stages in the Tour de France, Primož Roglič has withdrawn from the race ahead of Friday’s stage 13.
His team Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe confirmed that Roglič will not start the expected sprint stage to Pau, with the Pyrenees on the programme next weekend.
Roglič, who was fourth overall before Stage 12 with a time of 2:15, was one of several riders who went down with 12.2km to go in Thursday’s race to Villeneuve-sur-Lot. He crossed the finish line with abrasions and tears in his jersey 2:27 behind the peloton and ended the day sixth overall, 4:42 behind leader Tadej Pogačar.
“Primož Roglič was thoroughly examined by our medical team yesterday after the stage and again this morning,” Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe announced on social media. “It has been decided that he will not start today, in order to focus on the upcoming goals.
“We wish you a speedy recovery Primož.”
News of Roglič’s withdrawal leaves Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe with just six riders for the remainder of the Tour. The team previously lost Aleksandr Vlasov, who suffered a broken ankle after a crash in stage 10.
The team’s highest ranked rider in the general classification is now Jai Hindley, who is in 18th place with a time of 19:25.
His team have not yet confirmed any news about Roglič’s future plans, but it is likely that the Slovenian will now focus on the Vuelta a España and an attempt to equal a record fourth title in the race, which he won three times between 2019 and 2021.
Roglič’s withdrawal from the 2024 Tour means he has now failed to complete any of his last three Tour starts and has completed just three of his most recent seven Grand Tours. The 34-year-old abandoned the 2021 and 2022 Tours after battling on for days following crashes in the first week, while in the 2022 Vuelta he was forced to abandon the race from second place after a crash just four days from Madrid.
