Richie Porte was one of the favorites to win the Tour de France.
The man whom Chris Froome called the favorite to win the Tour de France has been knocked out of the race in an ugly crash during a descent in Stage 9.
The wet conditions of Stage 9 led to a number of crashes, but the most notable occurred during a descent on a narrow and winding road in which Australian Richie Porte (red jersey) momentarily went off the road and then took out Ireland's Dan Martin (blue jersey) when he tried to recover.
The group was reportedly traveling 72.5 kmh (45 mph) at the time of the crash.
Porte, who entered the stage fifth in the standings, was one of the pre-race favorites along with Great Britain's Chris Froome and Romain Bardet of France.
The BMC Racing Team member was clearly in a lot of pain and was unable to continue. Medical staff members placed Porte in a neck brace before taking him to a local hospital.
Martin was able to continue, but lost more than a minute on Froome, the race leader, falling from fourth to sixth place after nine stages.
Richie Porte was one of the favorites to win the Tour de France. Read Full Story
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