German cyclist Florian Lipowitz, one of the standout stars of road racing, suffered a broken collarbone after falling during stage 16 of the Tour de France, threatening his current season.

Lipowitz, who finished third in last year's edition, was fifth overall before the start of Tuesday's time trial, but a heavy crash at high speed forced him to withdraw from the race due to the injury, as confirmed by his Red Bull team.

The German rider will be sidelined for at least six weeks, meaning he will miss the Vuelta a España, scheduled from August 22 to September 13, and his participation in the World Championships in Montreal, Canada, from September 20 to 27, also appears unlikely.

However, he could potentially return for the one-day races in Italy at the end of the season, such as the Tour of Lombardy on October 10.

The day brought mixed emotions for the team, as his Belgian teammate Remco Evenepoel won the stage, cutting the gap to Slovenian leader Tadej Pogačar to 4 minutes and 32 seconds, with the race concluding on Sunday.

Red Bull team director Ralph Denk said: 'We will miss Florian not only in the fight for the podium, but also as a person in the team. Yes, we won the stage, but you can't say things are great for us. I also feel sorry for Remco because he can't fully enjoy this achievement in an atmosphere of calm and complete joy.'