Canada's Ryder Hesjedal competes in the 6,4 km individual time-trial and prologue of the 2012 Tour de France cycling race running around Liege on June 30, 2012. The 99th Tour de France, to be held from June 30 till July 22, will be made up of one prologue and 20 stages and will cover a total distance of 3.497 kilometres. AFP PHOTO / PASCAL PAVANI
TOMBLAINE, France – Garmin team leader Ryder Hesjedal has pulled out of the Tour de France after suffering several injuries in the crash-marred sixth stage, team chief Jonathan Vaughters said Saturday.
“Ryder is not going to start. Sad but he will be back,” Vaughters said on his Twitter account.
Canada’s recent Giro d’Italia champion was one of several Garmin men to suffer in the 60 km/h pile-up 26 kilometres from the finish line of Friday’s 205 km stage from Epernay to Metz.
Teammate Tom Danielson was also forced out of the race, along with five riders from other teams, and on Saturday morning Garmin were among many teams counting their maimed and injured.
Danielson suffered a reoccurrence of the separated shoulder he sustained in a crash on stage three as well as a sprained neck, chest contusion and multiple extensive deep abrasions, according to a Garmin team statement.
Belgian Johan Vansummeren arrived at the stage finish with barely a stitch of his cycling gear holding together and with patches of road rash on his back and buttocks.
He was transported to a local hospital immediately where exams revealed a sprain to his right shoulder and upper back along with multiple abrasions, according to Garmin.
Stage seven on Saturday is a 199 km ride from Tomblaine to the race’s first summit finish at La Planche des Belles Filles in the Vosges.