Pro cycling certainly is a sport of ups and downs, as Norwegian Torstein Træen has just learned.
His breakthrough Tour de France has come to an abrupt end, unfortunately, after a brutal day on the saddle–while wearing yellow–on Thursday.
The Uno-X Mobility rider will not start Friday’s Stage 7 after suffering a concussion and multiple rib fractures in a crash during Stage 6, the team announced Thursday.
Crashing in yellow
Træen crashed on the descent of the Col du Tourmalet during the Tour’s first major mountain stage. Although he passed an initial roadside concussion assessment and was able to finish the stage in Gavarnie-Gèdre, further examinations by the team’s medical staff, including helmet sensor data and X-rays taken in the race’s medical truck, confirmed the injuries.
The Norwegian will now begin the team’s concussion protocol and head home to recover.
His withdrawal ends one of the biggest moments in Uno-X Mobility’s brief history. Træen took the overall race lead after Stage 4 and successfully defended the yellow jersey through Stage 5, becoming the first rider from the Norwegian squad to wear cycling’s most prestigious jersey.
Down but now out
“This is really not the ending we wanted for this yellow adventure,” team boss (and former maillot jaune himself) Thor Hushovd said.
Hushovd praised Træen for delivering a milestone that will remain part of the team’s history, while emphasizing there was no question about the medical decision.
“Torstein has given the team a historic moment, and what he and the whole team have achieved these past days is something we will always be proud of,” Hushovd said. “But after further checks, it was clear that he could not continue.”
The former world champion added that wearing the yellow jersey at the Tour de France is a career-defining achievement for any rider. He said Træen’s performance in holding the race lead over the mythic Tourmalet made it even more special, even if it ended not the way he had hoped.
For now, however, racing takes a back seat.
“It is of course disappointing to leave the race like this, but now the most important thing is that Torstein gets the care and recovery he needs,” Hushovd said.