Fabio Jacobsen (Soudal-Quick Step) abandoned before the start of stage 12 of the Tour de France. He revealed that he was struggling to recover and heal from injuries sustained in a crash in a high-speed sprint on stage 4.

The 2022 stage winner struggled in the sprint that followed and had to fight a time cut on stage 10.

"Because of the crash on stage 4, after talking to the team, we decided it would be better to end our Tour de France journey here." Jacobsen and his Soudal-Quick Step team announced.

"At the moment it seems impossible to go to Paris." "I have not recovered and my body has not recovered from the crash."

Jacobsen was expected to compete in many of the sprint stages of the 2023 Tour de France, along with Jasper Philippsen (Alpecin-Desseuninck) and Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco Alura). However, his best result was fourth in Bayonne, and the day before that he crashed on the Nogaro circuit.

"I am very sad to leave the Grand Boucle because I had big goals for this race and I wanted to do my best with the team," Jacobsen said. I'm very sad to leave the Grand Boucle," Jacobsen said.

"Now I will take some time to recover and get my head together and hopefully be back to my best later this season.

Jacobsen is the second big-name sprinter to leave this year's Tour de France, following Mark Cavendish (Astana Cazacustin), who retired after crashing on stage 8 to Limoges and breaking his collarbone.

The Dutch sprinter, along with former world champion Julien Alaphilippe, was one of Soudal-Quick Step's top contenders for the stage win, but as of stage 11, the usually successful Belgian team had not scored a stage win.