Coming back and recovering from her crash in Baloise Ladies Tour, Charlotte Kool was feeling better, felt good on the bike and could start yesterday’s opening stage in Vannes. However, after a hard opening stage and having to push on the pedals she found herself not able to respond the way she would have liked. Not feeling 100 percent this morning, and after consultation with Team Picnic PostNL’s medical staff, Kool will not start stage two of the race.
Kool said: “It’s a shame to have to leave the Tour de France. I was feeling good on the training rides I did earlier this week and was hoping to get through the first two stages before the bigger bunch sprint chances on stage three and four. I wish my teammates the best of luck for the rest of the race and I’ll be cheering them on.”
Team Picnic PostNL doctor Jelle Posthuma added: “Coming into the race things with Charlotte were going in a good way and she was continuing to get better each day. But after the opening day of racing, it took more out of her than expected; both physically and mentally. She will head home now to rest and recover.”
Team Picnic PostNL coach Albert Timmer concluded: “Of course it’s sad to lose Charlotte from the race like this but her health comes first and we wish her a good and speedy recovery. We have a strong team here that can be in the race on every stage, and we will continue to fight for day results.”