Tour de France contender Primoz Roglic withdraws after crash

AGEN: Primoz Roglic has withdrawn from the Tour de France ahead of the 13th stage a day after he got caught in a crash, his team said Friday.

Roglic lost more than two minutes to his rivals Thursday after hitting the tarmac 12 kilometers from the finish line when a rider ahead of him struck road furniture and lost control of his bike.

It was the second accident in 24 hours for Roglic, a four-time Grand Tour champion. He got back on his bike but struggled at the back and was helped to the stage finish by his Bora-Hansgrohe teammates. He crossed 2 minutes, 27 seconds after the winner and dropped to sixth place overall.

“Primoz Roglic underwent careful examination by our medical team after yesterday's stage and again this morning. The decision has been taken that he will not start today, to focus on upcoming goals,” his team said in a statement. “We wish you a speedy recovery Primoz.”

Two-time Tour champion Tadej Pogacar leads the race ahead of Stage 13, a flat trek in southwestern France from Agen to Pau.

Pogacar has a lead of 1:06 over Remco Evenepoel, with two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard in third place, 1:14 off the pace.