BMC’s Tejay van Garderen, who was sitting in third place overnight at the Tour de France, withdrew from the race Wednesday due to illness
![]() |
Team News – Van Garderen Out of Tour
Pra Loup, France – BMC Racing Team’s Tejay van Garderen, who was sitting in third place overnight at the Tour de France, withdrew from the race Wednesday due to illness.
Van Garderen lost contact with the peloton on the ascent of the Col de Toutes Aures, about 50 kilometers into the 161-km race. With the help of several teammates, he caught up with the peloton on the descent. But not long after, the lead group split and van Garderen was once again alone. He stopped with 70 km to go.
“To be fighting for a podium in the Tour de France, and then the next minute you are sitting in the car, was really hard,” van Garderen said. “It was hard to look my teammates in the eyes. It was hard to call my wife and explain to her what was going on. It was a lot of emotions.”
Van Garderen said he had been fighting a bit of a cold he picked up after Stage 13.
“For awhile I was dealing with it just fine,” he said. “It was just a little bit of the sniffles and not a big deal. But it kept getting a little bit worse. Then, on the rest day (Tuesday), I was having some feverish symptoms and chills. This morning, I woke up and thought the worst of it had passed. I felt ready to race and was back, closer to normal. But then once I got out there, the muscles just had no energy. Straight away from the start, I kind of knew this wasn’t good and hopefully I could just hide and maybe ride into it for a few kilometers and start to feel better. But the sensations never came. It is hugely disappointing.”
After helping the BMC Racing Team win the Stage 9 team time trial, van Garderen had been sitting second or third overall. He was 3:32 behind race leader Chris Froome (Team Sky) when the stage began. Samuel Sánchez, at 17:52 off the lead and in 13th, is now the BMC Racing Team’s best-placed rider.
“We lost our GC (general classification) contender for the podium and that means we have to re-focus tonight and set some new goals for tomorrow and the rest of the tour,” BMC Racing Team President/General Manager Jim Ochowicz said. “There are still four big days in the Tour de France ahead of us. We are not going away. We are going to be fighting tomorrow for something new. So we will carry on until Paris.”
BMC Racing Team Chief Medical Officer Dr. Max Testa said there was no indication the respiratory situation van Garderen was suffering from would sap his power so significantly on the first race’s day in the Alps.
“We were hoping by the rest day, he would have gotten over it,” Dr. Testa said. “Today was very hard at the start. So the combination and the fatigue that he built up in the previous days cost him the race.”
Van Garderen was one of six riders to withdraw from the Tour de France Wednesday. It was his first abandonment in five participations after twice finishing fifth (2012 and 2014), 45th in 2013 and 81st in 2011. He won the race’s “best young rider” honors in 2012.
Simon Geschke (Team Giant-Alpecin) soloed to win Wednesday’s stage while Froome kept the overall lead, 3:10 ahead of Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team).
Send your results as well as club, team & event news here
Other Results on VeloUK (including reports containing results)
- News: 58th Perfs Pedal RR
- Features, Reports, Results
- News: Cycling Brands LTD to Launch Crowdfunding Campaign
- Track Result: Premier Division Manchester Track League
- Crit Results: Rhyl CC Junior/Youth Circuit Races
- Crit Result: Evesham Velo Park Winter Races
- CX Result: NWCCA Season Finale
- Crit Result: Full Gas Winter Series (Velopark) 14
- Crit Results: LVYCC Winter Races 2
- Track Result: First Division Manchester Track League
- Crit Result: Velo29 Winter Series #4
- Crit Result: Abingdon Race Team Winter Series 1
- CX Result: Western CX #11 (ShamCross)
- CX Result: Eastern Cyclo-Cross League 12
- Q&A with young organiser James Hawkins
- Q&A: Erin Murphy (Alba Dev Road Team)
- Crit Result: Odd Down Winter Series 4
- Crit Result: Odd Down Winter Series 3
- Crit Result: Velo29 Winter Series 3
- Track Result: Premier Division Manchester Track League #4
- Team Feature: Hutchinson/Brother UK
- Events: Spring MK Bowl Circuit Series
- Crit Result: Full Gas Winter Series (LVVP #13)
- Events: RCR Fatcreations Road Race
- Team News: DAS Handsling Women’s UCI Team
- News: GB for European Track Championships
- Crit Result: Full Gas Winter Series (Hillingdon #6)
- CX Result: NWCCA CX League Round 9
- CX Result: London/SE CX League Rd 10
- CX Result: Wessex CX League Rd 13
- CX Result: Eastern Cyclo-Cross League 11
- CX Result: East Kent CX League 5
- British Track Championships: Day 3 Report
- Track Results: British Track Championhip Results (para)
- Track Results: British Track Championship Results (M)
- Track Result: British Track Championships Results (W)
- British Track Championships: Day 2 Report
- Q&A: Sophie Lankford (Alba Team)
- Team Feature: Sam Watson’s Journey to WorldTour
- News: Rayner Foundation’s Gateway Project
- News: Star Names Sign up for Saint Piran 05/03 Team
Other News on VeloUK
- News: Cycling Brands LTD to Launch Crowdfunding Campaign
- Q&A with young organiser James Hawkins
- Q&A: Erin Murphy (Alba Dev Road Team)
- Team Feature: Hutchinson/Brother UK
- Events: Spring MK Bowl Circuit Series
- Events: RCR Fatcreations Road Race
- Team News: DAS Handsling Women’s UCI Team
- News: GB for European Track Championships
- Q&A: Sophie Lankford (Alba Team)
- News: Rayner Foundation’s Gateway Project
- News: Star Names Sign up for Saint Piran 05/03 Team
- News: 58th Perfs Pedal RR
- News: GB Team for CX Worlds
- Team News: MAS Design – Fensham Howes Junior Team
- EVENTS: The Peaks 2 Day p/b Giant Sheffield
- TEAM NEWS: Kalas Motip Race Team for 2023
- Team News: Rotor UK Sponsor Team AT85
- Q&A: Vicky Smith (Alba Development Road Team)
- British Track Championships Jan 26-29
- Event News: Midlands handicap league returns in 2023
- News: Alba DRT Riders Inspired to Step Up
- Race Dates: Track Events 2023
- News: Santini Cycling UK
- News: Wightlink-Wight Mountain CRT Report
- Events: Velo Club St Raphael Time Trial
- Startlist: British Cyclocross Championships 2023
- BRITISH CYCLOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2023
- News: Brother UK Continues to Sponsor Cycling
- Dave Rayner Fund Supported Riders
- Event news: British Team Cup
- National Trophy: Final Round, Cyclopark
- News: Pedal Club December Lunch Report
- Team News: Velo Bavarian Race Team 2023
- 2023 British teams – Richardson’s Trek
- Team News: 26th Year for Arctic-Aircon RT
- Event News: British Masters RR Champs
- News: West Midlands RR Calendar
- Team News: New cycling team in Central Region
- News: UCI World Masters Track Championships
- 2023: National Under 23, Youth & Junior Road Series