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Egan Bernal
Photo: MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP
Defending champion Egan Bernal withdrew from the Tour de France before the 17th stage.
This was announced by his team Ineos Grenadiers.
The 23-year-old will focus on his recovery from the tour and set new goals for the rest of the season.
"Of course I didn't want my Tour de France to end like this, but I agree that under the circumstances it is the right decision for me," Bernal is quoted in the statement.
"I have the greatest respect for this race and I am already looking forward to coming back in the years to come."
Bernal, who started the tour with back problems, had lost 7:20 minutes to the overall leader Primoz Roglic from Slovenia on Sunday when he reached the mountain at the Grand Colombier.
On Tuesday, Bernal struggled on the first Alpine stage of the final week almost half an hour behind winner Lennard Kämna with the Gruppetto.
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