Rigoberto Uran (EF-Drapac) has abandoned the Tour de France before Stage 12 to Alpe d'Huez. The Colombian had struggled since crashing on Sunday's cobbled stage to Roubaix and decided to abandon this morning.
Uran crashed on Stage 9 sustaining injuries to him left leg and arm with the team claiming that this compromised 'his ability to pedal'.
The rider and his team had hoped that he would recover sufficiently on Monday's rest day but after two consecutive mountain stages this proved to not be the case.
Uran originally lost 1 minute 28 seconds to the General Classification favourites on Stage 9 due to his crash before losing a further 2 minutes 46 on Tuesday's stage to Le Grand Bornand.
Yesterday his woes continued as he was one of the first GC riders to be dropped on the final climb of La Rosiere. He eventually finished 26 minutes adrift of stage winner Geraint Thomas.
Abandonment will come as a bitter disappointment for the rider after he managed to claim a surprise second place overall at last year's race, only 54 seconds behind winner Chris Froome (Team Sky).
Uran spoke on his abandonment stating, 'It’s difficult for me and also for my team. We prepared for this Tour, all season we were focused on the Tour.
'Sometimes this happens, and this time, I think it’s the best decision for me to recover and to recover well.'
Team director Charlie Wegelius also spoke on the matter, stating that it was a joint decision between rider and team.
'Rigo hasn’t recovered from his crash on the cobbled stage, and his position on the bike is compromised and could create further issues down the line,' Wgelius said.
'We along with Rigo felt it best to pull out of the Tour this morning so he can recover and look toward the remainder of the season.
'Ultimately this decision comes down to the rider. If a rider wants to continue the race, we look to ways to do that safely. If a rider feels it best to pull out, we do not push them to continue.'
EF-Drapac will now have to push the reset button in terms of their Tour de France. The team entered the Tour with the intention of fighting a battle on GC, however this is no longer the case.
It is likely that the American WorldTour team will hunt stage wins for the remaining 10 days in an attempt to salvage their race although not with its entire remaining roster.
American Lawson Craddock continues to race despite a fractured scapula sustained on Stage 1. The 26-year-old Texan has battled on despite this injury, raising money for the Alkek Velodrome in the process, and now occupies the position of laterne rouge.