Race leader Remco Evenepoel withdraws from the Tour de France during stage 14
In a surprising turn of events, Remco Evenepoel, the young Belgian cyclist riding for Soudal Quick-Step, was forced to withdraw from the Tour de France Stage 14 due to a combination of factors. Evenepoel, who was wearing the white jersey of the best young rider, had been struggling with an illness that developed into sinusitis, and was also dealing with the effects of a pre-existing fractured rib sustained at the Belgian National Championships.
Evenepoel's withdrawal came after a difficult stage that saw him drop behind the peloton early on, during the climb of the Col du Tourmalet. His setbacks were compounded by a crash in December that disrupted his winter training, leaving him physically "worn out" and "running low" on energy even before the Tour started. These accumulated issues led to fatigue and ultimately forced him to abandon the race during Stage 14.
Meanwhile, Mattias Skjelmose, riding for Lidl-Trek, also left the race after a crash with 129km to go in stage 14. Skjelmose, who began Saturday's stage in 19th place, more than 33 minutes behind Tadej Pogačar, was abandoned during the stage and is no longer in contention for the General Classification (GC). Skjelmose has stated he will pursue the mountains classification instead.
In the wake of Evenepoel and Skjelmose's withdrawals, Florian Lipowitz of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe moved into the de facto lead of the white jersey competition. Lipowitz, who is now third overall in the Tour de France, is closing the gap on Tadej Pogačar, who won Stage 14 and remains in the yellow jersey.
Steff Cras (TotalEnergies) also abandoned the Tour de France during Stage 14, climbing off in tears. The race has been a challenging one for many riders, with multiple crashes and setbacks affecting the field.
Evenepoel's illness has not been officially confirmed, but there has been speculation about his health. Despite this, he managed to limit his losses during Stage 12 to Hautacam, retaining his third place on the General Classification (GC). However, he suffered the ignominy of being caught by his two-minute man, Jonas Vignegaard, during the mountain time trial to Peyragudes.
Despite the challenges faced by the riders, the Tour de France continues to captivate audiences around the world, with fans eagerly awaiting the next stage and the twists and turns that it may bring.
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