Movistar's Tour de France GC hopes have all but evaporated on the first mountain stage of the race as their leader Cian Uijtdebroeks abandoned the race on stage 6.
The Belgian joined the Spanish team this year from Visma-Lease a Bike and lined up in Barcelona as team leader with Einer Rubio, Raúl García Pierna, and Pablo Castrillo among the riders supporting him.
The Tour didn't start well for Uijtdebroeks, however, as he was dropped on the penultimate climb of the opening team time trial. He'd shed further time on subsequent stages, leaving him in 23rd place, 11:17 off the yellow jersey.
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Earlier in the race, Movistar confirmed that Uijtdebroeks had been suffering with stomach issues and a fever. Now, it looks like those illnesses have forced him out of the Grand Tour.
He was dropped far from the finish of stage 6, losing contact 77km from the line on the first climb of the day, the Col d'Aspin. Just over 50km later, as the leaders crested the Col du Tourmalet, his withdrawal was confirmed.
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