Tour de France stage 14 gets off to crash-marred start

ANNEMASSE, France :There were scenes of tears and pain as the 14th stage of the Tour de France turned into carnage, being halted for 25 minutes after a massive crash at the back of the peloton before two more riders hit the deck hard later on Saturday.

The main incident occurred on a slippery descent with 146km left in the stage, with Movistar rider Antonio Pedrero forced to abandon the race after being carried off on a stretcher.

South African Louis Meintjes, who was 13th in the general classification, also pulled out, before Colombian Esteban Chaves threw in the towel 134km from the finish in Morzine.

None of the overall leaders were involved in the crash.

In the descent of the Col de Saxel, France's Romain Bardet, second in the 2016 Tour de France, crashed on a bend at 60kph and after a long discussion with doctors, pulled out of the race, hiding tears behind his hands.

Chaves's EF EasyPost team mate James Shaw crashed along with Bardet and the Briton was carried away on a stretcher.