CHAMBERY (France), July 9 — Australian Richie Porte crashed spectacularly out of the Tour de France on a treacherous and costly ninth stage today.
Briton Geraint Thomas, who started the day second overall, had already crashed out 100km from the finish when Porte, who was fifth, slipped off the tarmac and onto a grass verge on the inside of a rapid descent.
He careered across the road and clattered into Ireland’s Dan Martin, bringing the two crashing into the rocky side of the road in the final 25km of the 181.5km stage from Nantua to Chambery.
Porte was given immediate medical assistance by an ambulance and some minutes later hadn’t moved.
However, organisers said he was conscious and speaking but was being taken to hospital.
Thomas had crashed on another descent much earlier in the stage and quit the Tour with a suspected fractured collarbone.
It meant race leader and reigning champion Chris Froome lost both a key team-mate in Thomas and chief rival in Porte on the same stage.
Several other riders had also quit after crashes while two-time former winner Alberto Contador was able to carry on quickly after coming down on an uphill section.
Martin continued after Porte took him down, despite crashing a second time shortly afterwards. — AFP
