BMC Racing have confirmed the luckless Richie Porte suffered a fractured collarbone in the stage-nine crash that ended his run in the Tour de France.
Porte, who was also forced to abandon the race after crashing on stage nine last year, had been considered a legitimate contender for the yellow jersey.
However, the Australian fell early on Sunday's ride from Arras Citadelle to Roubaix and could be seen crying on the roadside as it became clear he would not be able to continue.
MORE: Richie Porte abandons Tour de France after crash on stage 9
"Obviously I'm devastated. For the second year in a row I am ending the Tour de France like this," Porte said.
"I was on the ground before I knew it and straight away felt pain in my right shoulder.
"I want to say a big thank you to my teammates for their incredible work over the first nine days. We had a great first week and I'm so disappointed that I won't be continuing to Paris.
"I hope to recover as fast as possible and get back to racing."
"We had a great first week and I’m so disappointed that I won’t be continuing to Paris" - @richie_porte after being forced to abandon #TDF2018 after a devastating crash early into stage 9
— BMC Racing Team (@BMCProTeam) July 15, 2018
Read our full medical update for more. #Ride_BMC https://t.co/oSGoFrS92R
BMC's chief medical officer, Dr Max Testa, added: "Richie has been discharged by the hospital and the diagnosis is that he has a non-displaced right clavicle fracture.
"From what we know at this point, it looks like a straightforward injury and one that is quite common in cycling. We are expecting him to be back on the bike training in probably three to four weeks and potentially racing in six to eight weeks."
The team's sports director, Fabio Baldato, said: "We're obviously really disappointed and frustrated about all the hard work we have put in until now. Once again, we will try to keep looking forward to the end of the Tour and try to take some stages if it's possible as the GC and podium is gone."