The departure of Tinkoff Saxo rider Alberto Contador from the Tour de France sees yet another race favourite out of the 101st edition of the event. Following the exit of Team Sky’s Chris Froome last Wednesday, Contador was forced to withdraw after crashing heavily on Stage 10 – which he had begun in ninth place – at around the 65km mark between the Petit Ballon climb and the Col du Platzerwasel. With knee bandaged and a change of bike the Spanish star rode on for a further 15km, clearly in some distress, before stopping and entering the team car. A subsequent x-ray revealed a fracture to his right tibia just below the knee.
Despite initial reports that Contador had suffered a frame failure, Team Manager Bjarne Riis believes the crash was ‘…probably because of a bump or hole in the road.’
In a statement Riis said: ‘We will naturally have to look ahead. But right now it’s to early to say anything about the possibility of Alberto riding Vuelta a Espana. It depends on his recovery and on how fast he can get back on the bike and start training again.’
Today, July 15, is a rest day for the Tour de France with action continuing tomorrow with Stage 11, 187.5km Besançon to Oyonnax. Astana’s Vincenzo Nibali, who won another stage yesterday, is now looking favourite to win the 2014 TdF.
