Philippe Gilbert struggled back onto his bike and finished the remaining 60km; with a fractured kneecap.
Gilbert finished Tour de France stage with fractured kneecap
Now out of the Tour de France, it has emerged Philippe Gilbert finished yesterday’s stage despite suffering a fractured kneecap.
The 36-year-old Belgian was leading the race solo with 59km of the 218km stage remaining.
But on the descent of the Col de Portet-d'Aspet the QuickStep rider misjudged a left-hander and crashed.
He hit a small wall at the side of the road. Gilbert went flying over it and down into a ravine.
While he needed help to get back up onto the road and looked dazed, he continued in the race.
However, an examination at stage end – after he had received the combativity award – revealed the extent of his knee injury.
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"First of all, I want to say that I'm happy to be here after that tough moment,” Philippe Gilbert said of his crash and fractured kneecap.
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“I landed pretty hard on some stones, and initially didn't want to move. But someone from Mavic came and helped me stand up and crawl back from that ravine.
“This isn't how I wanted to finish my Tour and leaving it like this really hurts.”
His team mate Julian Alaphilippe was in the large chasing group and passed Gilbert before going on to win the stage.
"Seeing his bike on the ground I got a bit scared, so I slowed down on the descent,” he said.
“It's a real pity he crashed and is now out of the Tour. He's been a huge helper for the team during the race.
"And he deserves a lot of credit for the role played in our success," added the king of the mountains leader.
The team, which scored its 51st win of the season yesterday, also lost Tim Declercq. He came down with illness and was forced out.
We've all been very scared, but @PhilippeGilbert is ok and will go back on the bike. ?
Après une grosse frayeur, @PhilippeGilbert semble aller bien et va repartir. ?#TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/Xtrjyw3QSf— Le Tour de France (@LeTour) July 24, 2018
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