4 Jul 2012

Siutsou first rider to drop out of Tour de France

2:14 pm on 4 July 2012

Belarussian Kanstantsin Siutsou is the first cyclist forced out of this year's Tour de France after a crash 50 kilometres from the end of the 197-kilometre third stage.

The 29-year-old Team Sky rider was involved in a pile-up at the back of a bunch of riders and was unable to make it back on his bike.

Siutsou's withdrawal is a blow for team-mate and race favourite Bradley Wiggins as he bids to become the first Briton to win cycling's showcase event.

Another pile-up on the tight country roads of northern France later also led to Movistar's Jose Joaquin Rojas, second in the points classification in last year's race, pulling out.