Tadej Pogacar’s entourage is getting thinner still. Rafal Majka has not recovered from his thigh injury which occurred during the 16th stage. Not starting, he becomes the 4th rider from the UAE Emirates team to retire on this Tour de France 2022. A blow in the race for the yellow jersey for Pogacar, second in the standings at 2′22″ from Jonas Vingegaard.
“Majka suffered a thigh injury after a technical problem during stage 16 when his chain broke,” said team medical director Adrian Rotunno.
More than 4 riders in the team
During the 16th stage, Rafal Majka led the yellow jersey group 27 km from the finish line. But in full ascent of the wall of Péguères, the chain of the 32-year-old runner broke. It was this incident that caused the Polish cyclist to tear his quadriceps.
With this new abandonment, the UAE Emirates team only has 4 riders entered, out of 8 at the start. The task is therefore still more difficult for Tadej Pogacar in his fight for the general classification. Twice best climber in the Tour de France in 2014 then 2016, Rafal Majka was a major asset for Slovenia in the Pyrenees.
Earlier in this edition of the Grande Boucle, the Pole had tested positive for Covid-19. Asymptomatic, he had been authorized to remain in the race, the analysis of his PCR test having shown a “very low risk of infectivity”.
His team will therefore have to do without him for the end of this edition, starting with the 17th stage. After starting in Saint-Gaudens, the race takes the Peyragudes path, with three first category climbs on the program.