ANNEMASSE, France, July 15 (Reuters) - There were scenes of tears and pain as the 14th stage of the Tour de France turned into carnage, being halted for 25 minutes after a massive crash at the back of the peloton before two more riders hit the deck hard later on Saturday.
The main incident occurred on a slippery descent with 146km left in the stage, with Movistar rider Antonio Pedrero forced to abandon the race after being carried off on a stretcher.
In the descent of the Col de Saxel, France's Romain Bardet, second in the 2016 Tour de France, crashed on a bend at 60kph and after a long discussion with doctors, pulled out of the race, hiding tears behind his hands.
Chaves's EF EasyPost team mate James Shaw crashed along with Bardet and the Briton was carried away on a stretcher.
Reporting by Julien Pretot and Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Antonio Pedrero, African Louis Meintjes, Colombian Esteban Chaves, Ramon Sinkeldam, de Saxel, France's Romain Bardet, James Shaw, Julien Pretot, Aadi Nair, Ed Osmond
Organizations:
Tour de France, de France, Briton, Thomson
Locations:
ANNEMASSE, France, African, Colombian, Morzine, 60kph, Bengaluru