Veronica Eworth's hopes of finishing at the top of the Tour de France women's overall standings were ended by a crash on stage 6 in Blagnac.

The EF Education-TIBCO-SVB leader completed the stage, but was later taken to a nearby hospital where doctors confirmed that she had broken her collarbone.

"Veronica Evers will miss stage 7 of the Tour de France due to a broken collarbone sustained in a crash on stage 6. She will return home tomorrow to rest and recover. Please make every effort to recover," commented EF Education-TIBCO-SVB.

At the start of stage 6 (122km from Albi to Blagnac), Evers was in 15th place overall, 2:17 behind overall leader Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx).

She was the team's main contender for stage 7, the GC decider to the summit of the Col du Tourmalet.

However, with about 50 km to go, Eworth was involved in a crash caused by wheel contact in the peloton.

Three of Eworth's teammates crashed, including Katrin Hammes, Yara Castellain, and Julie van de Velde (Phoenix Deceuninck).

Ewers took the brunt of the crash, ejected from her bike, and plunged into the gutter.

"In one of the crashes, my wheels made contact and I fell over and ended up in the gutter. When we got there it was pretty bad. The doctor was there and she decided to keep running," said Tim Harris, director of EF Education-TIBCO-SVB.

According to Harris, there were no signs of concussion and Eworth's main complaint after the crash was shoulder pain.

"We sent a rider back to take care of her and we will assess the situation," Harris said after the race.

Evers crossed the finish line 9:56 behind, with support from teammate Magdalene Valliere.

"It's a shame because she was in a good position and ready for tomorrow," Harris said. "We've been waiting for this day and she's in good shape. For us, it's super disappointing."