Thibaut Pinot abandons final stage race of his career partway through stage 1 at Tour of Luxembourg; David Gaudu joins him in leaving the race

Groupama - FDJ have had a disastrous start to the 2023 Tour of Luxembourg as both Thibaut Pinot and David Gaudu have abandoned part way through the opening stage.

It is believed that both Frenchmen have been battling illness over the past days and after trying to race regardless have been forced into making the tough decision to abandon. For Thibaut Pinot the news is extra sad as this was the final stage race of his career. The winner of the King of the Mountains at the Giro d'Italia earlier this year will now be hoping he can fully recover in time for his career swansong at Il Lombardia.