Lyon (AFP)
Romain Bardet was prescribed a rest for several weeks following his crash on Friday in the Tour de France, his team AG2R La Mondiale announced on Saturday.
The Auvergnat, who suffers from a concussion, abandoned the Tour on Friday evening a few hours after his fall on the 13th stage on the road to Puy Mary (Cantal).
"A control MRI taken at the Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital showed that the runner did not suffer from any serious injury," said Dr. Eric Bouvat, doctor of the French team on Saturday.
"But she confirmed the signs of concussion diagnosed on Friday which will require several weeks of rest."
He said the MRI had shown "a small hemorrhage following the concussion".
The retirement of Bardet, who occupied 4th place in the general classification of the Tour before the Puy Mary stage (11th after the finish), is only the French rider's fifth in 680 days of racing since his professional debut in 2012.
Second in the Tour in 2016 and third in 2017, he brought back the best climber polka dot jersey last year.
In his seven previous participations, he won three mountain stages, in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (Savoie) in 2015, in Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc (Haute-Savoie) the following year and in Peyragudes (Hautes-Pyrénées) ) in 2017.
The medical diagnosis ruins the possibilities of the Auvergnat to refer to other objectives for the rest of the season.
In particular, the world championship (September 27), which was moved to the Italian circuit of Imola, or Liège-Bastogne-Liège (October 4), his favorite classic.
Next year, Bardet will leave his lifelong team, AG2R La Mondiale, for the German team Sunweb, which won Saturday for the second time in three days in the Tour with the Swiss Marc Hirschi then the Danish Soren Kragh Andersen. .
© 2020 AFP