Traeen abandons Tour de France after Tourmalet descent crash
After starting Thursday's stage in the yellow jersey, Torstein Træen will not take to the start of stage 7 of the Tour de France.
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Torstein Træen (Uno-X Mobility) has abandoned the Tour de France following the conclusion of stage 6, after being diagnosed with a concussion and suffering multiple rib fractures in a crash while descending the Col du Tourmalet.
After moving into the yellow jersey after featuring in the breakaway on stage 4, Træen successfully defended the race lead in his first day in yellow on stage 5, where Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) sprinted to victory.
The 30-year-old Norwegian started Thursday's stage 6 in the yellow jersey, holding a 28-second lead over Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost) and a 7:53 advantage over both Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike).
On Thursday's stage, Træen was distanced from the GC contenders group with 10km from the top of the Tourmalet. By the summit, it had become apparent that the Norwegian would concede the yellow jersey back to a rampant Pogačar who was soloing to another dominant stage win.
The Norwegian's fate was sealed when he suffered a crash on the descent of the Tourmalet. After being checked out by the race doctors, Træen was able to remount and finish the stage in 51st place, 29:55 behind Pogačar. As a result, Træen slipped from the top of the overall standings, down to 28th place.
However, Uno-X Mobility have confirmed on Thursday evening that Træen's Tour will draw to a close after further medical assessments confirmed that the Norwegian had been diagnosed with a concussion and suffered multiple rib fractures.
“This is really not the ending we wanted for this yellow adventure,” said General Manager Thor Hushovd in an official statement.
Despite the bitter ending to Træen's Tour, Hushovd remains filled with immense pride after the team earned their first ever yellow jersey on the biggest stage.
“Torstein has given the team a historic moment, and what he and the whole team have achieved these past days is something we will always be proud of. But after the further checks, it was clear that he could not continue,” added Hushovd.
“To wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France is massive for any rider and any team. For Torstein to do that, and to take the jersey over the Tourmalet, is something very special,” he says.
The Norwegian team confirmed that Træen will begin a period of recovery before he turns his attention to returning to the peloton.
Following a decisive stage 6, Pogačar leads the Tour by 2:42 over Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike), while Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) sits in third at 3:27. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) is the highest-placed rider for the Norwegian team, sitting thirteenth, 9:42 behind the world champion.
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