Tadej Pogacar lost a key helper in the Tour de France on Sunday. João Almeida had to abandon the ninth stage due to a rib injury.
Almeida crashed hard on Friday, breaking a rib. The Portuguese rider started the next day, but he had to concede almost seven minutes to stage winner Jonathan Milan.
In the ninth stage, Almeida had to drop out of the peloton early on Sunday. The 26-year-old rider from UAE Team Emirates decided to quit with 80 kilometers to go to the finish line.
Almeida is one of Pogacar’s most important helpers. He finished fourth in the Tour last year. Leading up to the current Tour, he won the Tour de Suisse.
Pogacar is leading in the general classification. The Slovenian has a 54-second lead over Remco Evenepoel. Jonas Vingegaard is fourth, 1 minute and 17 seconds behind.