Tour de France: Aussie Richie Porte BAD crash on ninth stage, Chris Froome yellow

Australian cyclist Richie Porte is out of this year’s Tour de France, after a heavy crash during a descent left the pre-race favourite with fractures to his collarbone and pelvis.

In the final descent to Chambery, Porte missed a downhill bend, cartwheeling across the road and bowling over another rider, Dan Martin, before hitting a rocky bank.

Live broadcasts on French television showed Porte lying motionless in the road being treated by a medic, before being loaded into an ambulance wearing a neck brace.

The highs and the lows. Cycling has them all. Go behind the scenes of a devastating #TDF2017 stage 9 which saw @richie_porte crash out… http://pic.twitter.com/SuvLLlZ0hc

— BMC Racing Team (@BMCProTeam) July 9, 2017

“He was conscious, it’s reassuring, he is being transferred to the hospital,” race doctor Florence Pommery said.

Porte was in a group of seven riders, including race leader Chris Froome, who were descending from the last of seven climbs during Sunday’s mountain stage.

The Australian had been fifth overall.

Source: Tour de France 2017: Richie Porte crashes out on ninth stage, Chris Froome keeps yellow – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)