The adventure ends there. Frenchman Romain Bardet was forced to retire from the Tour de France after a fall on the descent from the Col de Saxel, the first difficulty of the 14th stage on Saturday between Annemasse and Morzine.
The Auvergne climber, who was 12th overall, fell in a curve to the left at kilometer 25 of this stage already marked by a massive fall in the peloton shortly after the start. The DSM team leader, visibly stunned, was able to get up but was unable to move on.
James Shaw quits too
This is the second abandonment in ten participations for Bardet who aspired to approach the podium during this 110th edition, he who had already finished second (in 2016) and third (in 2017) of the Grande Boucle. But he fell ill after the start of the Tour and never managed to weigh in on the race.
Another rider, James Shaw (EF Education) fell on the same descent and also had to retire. The start of the 14th stage had already been marked by a major collective crash after only five kilometers, causing three retirements, including that of South African Louis Meintjes, who was 13th overall. The race was neutralized for about 25 minutes before restarting.