VIDEO: Nibali out of the Tour after being knocked off his bike

Fractured vertebrae see's Italy's top contender abandon the race

Nibali, who claimed his sole yellow jersey in 2014, was riding ahead of eventual stage winner Geraint Thomas when he came crashing down four kilometres before the summit of the race’s legendary climb. He eventually finished in seventh place, only 13secs behind race leader Thomas, who took his overall lead over four-time champion and teammate Chris Froome to 1min 39secs.

Nibali is fourth overall at 2:37 behind Thomas, but said: “I’ve got a very sore back, I don’t feel that great.

“I was struggling to breathe at one point from the pain, so we’ll have to see if my osteopath can do something for me.”

Thomas said: “I was on his (Nibali) wheel, but I didn’t see if he hit a spectator. I rode over his back wheel and managed to get back on. It’s not good to see, because he should have been there challenging for the stage. But it’s just fortunate that we were ok.”

Nibali Out of the Tour after

The Italian was transported to hospital for further scans after X-rays taken at the finish were inconclusive. But his team suspected a fractured vertebrae because of the pain he was experiencing. Doctors later confirmed that Nibali had fractured his T10 vertebra. 

"The scan has confirmed what we feared," Bahrain-Merida team doctor Emilio Magni told the press. "There's a fracture of the T10 vertebra. It's a non-displaced fracture but it's clear Vincenzo can't ride his bike again for at least 15 days."

VIDEO: Nibali on the Floor

BREAKING VIDEO: Nibali knocked off by motor bike on L'Alpe d'Huez! ---> https://t.co/f5jKDPnjxj #tdf2018 pic.twitter.com/SI55n7zjBw

— Gran Fondo (@GranFondoGuide) July 19, 2018

VIDEO: Dense Smoke and Nibali Hits the Deck

BREAKING VIDEO: Nibali knocked off on L'Alpe d'Huez because of too must smoke! ---> https://t.co/f5jKDPnjxj #tdf2018 pic.twitter.com/YvaKh3407I

— Gran Fondo (@GranFondoGuide) July 19, 2018