Roglic crashed badly in the third stage of the Tour de France and had to continue in an injured state. His injuries are taking their toll and have forced last year’s runner up to abandon the race.

“We made this choice together”, Roglic said. “There is no point in continuing this way. Now it’s time to recover and focus on my new goals. I am very disappointed that I have to leave the Tour, but I have to accept it as it is. I remain optimistic and look forward.”

“Immediately after my crash in the third stage, I did not think that crash would herald my departure from the Tour. I never look that far ahead. After a few days I saw that I was not making any progress in my recovery. Even though I surprised myself in the time trial, I had a bad feeling again the days after. The long and tough stages take their toll. I will now focus on recovering from that.”