Tour de France abandons – Clément Berthet first rider to leave the race ahead of stage 2

Groupama-FDJ United cycles during the 1st stage of the 113th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, a 19,6 km team time trial stage in and around Barcelona in northeastern Spain, on July 4, 2026. (Photo by Jeff PACHOUD / AFP via Getty Images)
Groupama-FDJ United are down a rider after the team time trial on stage 1 of the Tour de France (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Tour de France kicked off in Barcelona on Saturday, and while all the riders got through the opening stage, there was a toll from the crashes. Before stage 2 got underway, the first rider had to abandon the race, with Clément Berthet (Groupama- FDJ United) a DNS.

Most riders started in Barcelona with the hope of making it to Paris, but as three weeks of racing takes its toll, Grand Tours often see tens of riders abandon across the 21 days and two rest days.

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Matilda is an NCTJ-qualified journalist based in the UK who joined Cyclingnews in March 2025. Prior to that, she worked as the Racing News Editor at GCN, and extensively as a freelancer contributing to Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Velo, Rouleur, Escape Collective, Red Bull and more. She has reported on the ground at all of the biggest events on the calendar, including the men's and women's Tours de France, the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a Espana, the Spring Classics and the World Championships. She has particular experience and expertise in women's cycling, and women's sport in general. She is a graduate of modern languages and sports journalism.

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