PARIS: German time-trial specialist Tony Martin became the 14th rider to quit this year's Tour de France, incredibly pulling out just 40km from the end of the 21st and final stage.
Regardless, the Tour was set to see a record number of riders cross the final finish line with 174 still in the race on Sunday's finale in Paris.
The previous record was 170 in 2010.
Incredibly, having covered 3,500km over three weeks, the last 40km proved beyond Martin, a three-time world time-trial champion.
"@tonymartin85 pulls out of the race. Six more laps to go," said the German's Etixx team on Twitter.
"@tonymartin85 would have loved to go all the way and help the team on Champs-Elysees, but couldn't do it because of knee pain."
Martin is one of the favourites to win time-trial gold at the Olympics in Rio next month.
To make matters worse for Etixx, their top sprinter, Marcel Kittel, the winner of the final stage on the Champs Elysees in 2013 and 2014, punctured in the final 40km and slipped to a minute behind the peloton.
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