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Marcel Kittel in tears as he gets into his team car having abandoned the Tour de France due to his crash.
Marcel Kittel crashing out of Tour de France
Five-time stage winner Marcel Kittel has spoken of his devastation at crashing out of the Tour de France. He said he is inconsolable.
"Now it is over. Unfortunately I won't make it to Paris this year. The crash today was the knock-out punch,” he said on his website.
The German also revealed he has been suffering from stomach problems and a cold for days. It perhaps explains his dismal form on the early climbs of Tuesday’s stage.
He was distanced on the climbs, as expected. But while fellow sprinter Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) was able to get back to the peloton, Kittel was unable to even with help of team mates.
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Kittel explained that yesterday’s crash was the last straw.
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“Five km before the summit of the Col de la Croix de Fer I let my two helpers know that I couldn’t go on. And that I would climb off my bike at the top,” he said.
“That way they at least had the chance to finish within the time limit.
"I am inconsolable over the abandon; not bringing the green jersey home, and not being able to sprint for the win in Paris.
"But the bruises on my bottom and shoulder were too painful to continue the race. Especially since I had been weakened anyway by stomach problems for a few days and a cold.
“But still I tried to make my way through to the Champs Elysees (and) I still have the five wins."
.@marcelkittel talks of the crash which ended his best ever Tour de France, one in which he racked up five victories. #TDF2017 pic.twitter.com/zqRFVzDPC6
— Quick-Step Cycling (@quickstepteam) July 20, 2017
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