Nacer Bouhanni withdraws from the Tour de France
Nacer Bouhanni withdraws from the Tour de France
Nacer Bouhanni abandoned the Tour de France about 70 km into stage 15. The French sprinter was struggling with discomfort following a crash on stage 13, and his departure leaves his Arkéa Samsic team with just three riders.
Bouhanni’s 2021 Tour de France campaign got off to a promising start, with podium finishes in the first three sprint stages, and fourth on stage 10. However, the wheels began to wobble on stage 11, with its two assaults of Mont Ventoux. The Frenchman was last but one to finish in Malaucène, 43:25 behind stage winner Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma).
A crash on stage 13 and a battle with the time limit on stage 14 were a prelude to Bouhanni’s torrid start to stage 15. He was one of the first to drop away inside the opening 10 km of the hot and mountainous 191.3 km stage to Andorra, and he ultimately called it a day shortly after the intermediate sprint in Olette.
Bouhanni is the fifth Arkéa Samsic rider to withdraw from this attritional edition of the Tour, leaving behind the trio of Élie Gesbert, Connor Swift, and Nairo Quintana.
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