Rafal Majka (UAE Team Emirates) was forced to abandon before stage 17 after suffering a broken chain and thigh strain injury on stage 16 of the Tour de France. Majka was his best domestique in the mountains, so it was a major blow to Tadej Pogacar's bid for the yellow jersey.

A statement from UAE Team Emirates released Wednesday afternoon, just before the start of the stage, read, "Unfortunately Rafal Majka will not start today's 17th stage of the Tour de France."

The team provided an update from medical director Dr. Adrian Rotunno: "Majka suffered a mechanical problem on stage 16, a broken chain which caused a strain on his thigh. This resulted in a high partial thickness tear of the right quadriceps muscle, and unfortunately the muscle damage made riding impossible"

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Majka, a former Tour de France mountains winner and multiple stage winner, has been an important support rider for Pogachar in the mountains, so his withdrawal is a major blow to Pogachar's quest for the yellow jersey.

UAE Team Emirates now has four riders, including Pogachar, two fewer than Vingegaard's Jumbo-Visma team.

Last week, George Bennett left the race with a positive COVID-19 test, and all-rounder Stijk Vegaard Lengen also left the race in the first week.

On stage 16, Marc Soler was seen vomiting early in the stage, a further incident that caused him to miss the time cut.

Pogachar is currently in second place overall, 2:22 behind overall leader Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo Visma), and stage 17 looked to be his best chance to attack the Danish yellow jersey.

Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal) is the latest to leave the Tour de France with COVID-19. According to a team announcement Wednesday morning, he had a mild symptom before stage 17 and tested positive.

"Unfortunately Tim Wellens is leaving the race. After a mild symptom this morning, testing revealed that he is infected with Covid," the team posted on its Twitter page.

Wellens had been told by the team that he would thrive on mountain stages and long breakaways, and no doubt would have seen the rugged terrain of stages 17 and 18 as the perfect opportunity for a breakaway.

Wellens has won a number of stages at the Vuelta a España and has worn the polka-dot jersey at the Tour.

Yesterday, two AG2R Citroën riders withdrew from the Tour de France after testing positive for COVID-19. Currently, COVID-19 has forced 12 riders to withdraw from the 2022 Tour de France.