Robbie Hunter talks about Andrew Talansky’s withdrawal from the Tour de France.
Andrew Talansky before the start of stage six. He may have been wounded from crashes but his spirits were still high.
Photo: Rob Arnold
During the 11th stage of this year’s Tour de France the leader of the Garmin-Sharp team suffered a crisis.
Andrew Talansky had crashed multiple times in the opening stanza of his second attempt at the race. He lost skin but never lost the motivation to try and improve on his 10th place in 2013, his first attempt at the Tour.
The American did, however, succumb to the injuries. He lost contact with the peloton on the road to Oyonnax. He drifted well behind the bunch. His legs and mind gave way.
“My back hurts but I wanted to continue for the team,” he’d say after finishing the stage in last place, 32:05 behind Tony Gallopin.
“I continued for the team, for the guys. They trusted me for this Tour – I did not want to stop after everything they did for me.”
He is denoted as a DNS for the 12th stage, but the effort he put in to reach the finish will surely stand him in good stead for the rest of his career.
Read the full blog here.
