Wildcard team Cofidis's hopes of success in the Tour de France suffered a huge blow on Wednesday morning when it was revealed that Nacer Bouhanni would miss the race with a hand injury.
The French sprinter reportedly injured his right hand when he punched a drunken hotel guest after an altercation ahead of the National Championships on Sunday.
Bouhanni was taken to hospital for treatment, but according to the team his injuries were not sufficiently treated and the 25-year-old required surgery on Tuesday.
Given that the French team was built around Bouhanni, with a strong lead-out train ready to work for the sometimes volatile rider on the flat stages, Bouhanni's absence will cause a few headaches.
He will be replaced by Nicolas Edet - a climber, who will join the likes of Daniel Navarro and Arnold Jeannesson in targeting stage wins in the mountains.
Geoffrey Soupe is likely to take over the sprint duties but probably won't be a threat to the big-name fast men.
-
-
Gas stations, hallucinations and a good cry in a field: A brutal untold story from Unbound Gravel 2021
Will Loevner broke his left hand in a crash halfway through the 350-mile race, a gas station attendant also helping him duct tape up another wound at 5 am
By Jonny Long •
-
Egan Bernal doesn't think he'll be able to win the Vuelta a España this year but dreams of completing Grand Tour set
The 24-year-old is back in his native Colombia after winning the Giro d'Italia
By Jonny Long •
-
‘I’m not naive, I couldn’t say the whole peloton is clean,’ says Guillaume Martin
Guillaume Martin couldn’t say the whole peloton is clean after the Tour de France 2020.
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Anthony Perez suffered multiple injuries after colliding with team car and hitting cliff wall at Tour de France
Anthony Perez has revealed the extent of his injuries after he crashed into his team car during stage three of the Tour de France 2020.
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Tour de France 2017 wildcard teams announced
Three French teams and one Belgian squad will join the 18 WorldTour squads in the 2017 Tour de France
By Nigel Wynn •
-
Extra security meant Bern's hosting of Tour de France cost £500,000 more than expected
Tour de France cost Swiss capital of Bern more that it thought it would
By Jack Elton-Walters •
-
Vincenzo Nibali slams critics of his Tour de France performance
Vincenzo Nibali says he's 'not a robot' and can't be expected to compete with those specifically targeting the Tour overall
By Gregor Brown •
-
Tony Martin reveals why he had to abandon Tour de France on Champs Élysées
Tony Martin made it all the way to final circuits in Paris on stage 21 before being forced to pull out of Tour de France
By Richard Windsor •
-
This is what it took to fuel Chris Froome and Team Sky through the Tour de France
Team Sky and Chris Froome ate a combined total of 1,000 energy gels and more than 500 bars during their 2016 Tour de France success.
By Richard Windsor •
-
Chris Froome wins 2016 Tour de France as André Greipel takes final stage
Chris Froome takes his third Tour de France victory in Paris on Sunday as André Greipel takes the final sprint showdown on the Champs Élysées
By Nigel Wynn •
