American Tejay van Garderen has pulled out of the Tour de France after breaking his left hand in a crash during the seventh stage on Friday.
Van Garderen hit a road divider and fell on his head and face seven kilometers into the 230-kilometer trek to Chalon-sur-Saone in eastern-central France.
The ED Education First team leader was attended by teammates and the race doctor. He got back on his bike, his face bloodied and his jersey ripped, to reach the finish of the Tour's longest stage.
Tejay Van Garderen of the U.S. is treated by a medic after he crashed during the seventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 230 kilometers (142,9 miles) with start in Belfort and finish in Chalon sur Saone, France, Friday, July 12, 2019. (AP PhotoThibault Camus)
He underwent X-rays after the stage, which confirmed the broken hand.
"He was placed in a splint and will not start stage eight," team doctor Kevin Sprouse said.
After finishing runner-up at the Criterium du Dauphine, a traditional warmup race for the Tour, the 30-year-old van Garderen high expectations at the Tour, where he finished fifth twice during his years with the BMC team.
"The crash was a result of a personal error," van Garderen added in a statement released by his team. "I was looking down at my bike because I saw something caught up in it, like a piece of paper, so I was looking down and I hit a median. I have no one to blame but myself, and I really hope that no one else got hurt because of me."
The Top American rider in the race, van Garderen was 36th overall, 10 minutes and 26 seconds behind race leader Giulio Ciccone.
"We will miss having him in the team," EF Education First manager Jonathan Vaughters said. "He has showed great form coming into the race. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope that he'll be back racing again soon."
More Tour de France coverage: https://apnews.com/TourdeFrance
PARIS (AP) — Former Marseille coach Rolland Courbis, a charismatic figure of French soccer who later became a prominent pundit, has died, his employer said on Monday. He was 72.
RMC radio did not disclose the cause of the death in a statement released in agreement with Courbis' family.
Born in Marseille, Courbis came through the club's academy. A rugged defender, he was part of the team that won the French league and cup double in 1972 and returned to the club in the late 1990s as coach.
As a player, he also won two French league titles and a French Cup with Monaco.
“A Marseillais at heart, he embodied popular, dynamic football. His unmistakable accent carried his frank, direct, often passionate and always sincere words,” Marseille said in a tribute.
Courbis enjoyed a much-traveled coaching career, with spells in France and abroad, notably at Bordeaux, Lens, Montpellier and the USM Alger.
Among the many defining moments of his career was a stunning comeback he oversaw when coaching Marseille. His team found itself 4-0 down at home to Montpellier in 1998 but fought back to seal a remarkable 5-4 victory.
Courbis, who had a taste for casino gambling and lived with an Italian countess for a while, led a tumultuous life. He was seriously wounded in 1996 when gunmen fatally shot the president of a French soccer team outside a stadium following a game. Courbis, who was also involved in several legal cases and sentenced to prison, was hit by a bullet during the attack.
France coach Didier Deschamps said that with his passing, French soccer lost “a fine connoisseur of football and its inner workings, but also of the game itself.”
“He was a true passionate figure,” Deschamps added. “And in recent years, he chose to pass on that passion behind a microphone, with a turn of phrase all his own.”
Since 2005, he had become a consultant on RMC, where he commented on football news.
“His passion came through in his trademark Marseille accent and in a very direct rapport with listeners,” RMC said. “A freedom of tone that kept the language of the supporters, while sharing their questions and emotions. He was particularly successful in remaining approachable and warm, while still being demanding on substance.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Coach of Montpellier Rolland Courbis reacts during the French League One soccer match Nice against Montpellier, Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, in Nice stadium, southeastern France. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, file)
