Updated: Richie Porte was forced to abandon the 2018 Tour de France after crashing just 10km in to the much-feared Stage 9 of the race. Coming down with a small group of other riders including German sprint star Andre Greipel, Porte was seen clutching his right shoulder as he sat dejected and upset on the roadway.
He was transferred to a nearby hospital and several hours later BMC Racing Team Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Max Testa confirmed the diagnosis of a non-displaced fracture of the right clavicle.
“He will need to rest for a week before he considers starting to ride on the home trainer. From what we know at this point, it looks like a straightforward injury and one that is quite common in cycling,” said Dr. Testa
Ironically it was during Stage 9 of last year’s Tour de France that Porte also crashed out.
“Obviously I’m devastated,” Richie Porte later told the world’s cycling media.
“For the second year in a row I am ending the Tour de France like this. I was on the ground before I knew it and straight away felt pain in my right shoulder. I want to say a big thank you to my teammates for their incredible work over the first nine days. We had a great first week and I’m so disappointed that I won’t be continuing to Paris. I hope to recover as fast as possible and get back to racing.”
Earlier: In heartbreaking news for Australian cycling fans Richie Porte is out of the Tour de France.
Porte came down in a crash early on Stage 9 of the race. Simon Gerrans stopped with him for a short time. After several minutes, and with Porte seen to be clutching his right collarbone and wincing in pain, Gerrans was encouraged to keep riding. A BMC Racing Team car arrived a short time later and Porte was transported from the scene.
Andre Greipel also came down in the crash. The cause of the crash remains unknown and a spectator was also being attended to at the scene.
Ironically is was also Stage 9 of last year’s Tour de France that Porte crashed out of the race.
US rider Tejay van Garderen will now lead BMC Racing Team.