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Richie Porte crashes out of Tour de France
Australian had been one of the favorites to win
Porte suffered horror injury in race last year
Cyclist Richie Porte isn’t having much fortune at the Tour de France after the Australian crashed out of the race for a second successive year.
One of the favorites to win the 2018 edition after winning last month’s Tour de Suisse, the 33-year-old Porte fell heavily on his shoulder on stage nine from Arras to Roubaix.
The 33-year-old fell just 10 kilometers into the race and was unable to get back on his bike. He was pictured looking in some discomfort before he was taken away in an ambulance.
The Tour de France’s official Twitter feed tweeted: “In tears, @richie_porte quits @LeTour.”
The Australian had also come off his bike on stage one and was nearly a minute behind teammate Greg Van Avermaet in the overall standings.
His crash on Sunday was nowhere near as severe as last year when Porte pulled out of the Tour – again on stage nine – after he suffered a wipe out at high speed.
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Then, flying high above the town of Aix-les-Bans in slippery conditions and traveling at speeds in excess of 70kph (45mph), Porte veered onto the grass and off the road.
As his bike threatened to tumble down the mountain, Porte hit the tarmac hard, skidding across the width of the road before clattering into the jagged rock face on his right.
There was nowhere to go for Daniel Martin behind him, who somersaulted over Porte’s body, then “bounced,” but was somehow was able to get back on his bike and continue the descent.
Porte suffered a broken collarbone and fractured pelvis and on July 9 Porte tweeted on the anniversary of his 2017 crash: “The difference a year makes.”
