'This is a huge disappointment' - Christophe Laporte shifts focus from Tour de France to 'full recovery' from quadriceps tear in training crash

Christophe Laporte, the versatile French rider for Visma-Lease a Bike, has confirmed he will miss the upcoming Tour de France due to a quadriceps tear sustained in a training crash. This marks the second consecutive year Laporte will be absent from his home Grand Tour, having been sidelined last season by illness. His team has announced a focus on a "full recovery," effectively removing a key domestique and potential stage winner from their Tour roster.

This latest setback is particularly galling for Laporte, who has consistently proven his value as a powerful classics rider and an indispensable lieutenant for Jonas Vingegaard. His absence leaves a significant hole in Visma-Lease a Bike's already challenged Tour squad, which has battled numerous injuries and illnesses this season. With Wout van Aert also recovering from severe injuries, the team's once-unassailable strength for the Tour is now looking considerably more vulnerable.

Another Tour, another key rider out for Visma-Lease a Bike. One begins to wonder if their team bus comes with a permanent 'fragile' sticker, or perhaps a resident black cat.