Dygert's chronic leg issue and a head cold lead to DNS on last day of the Tour
Chloe Dygert came into the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift as a key support rider for the Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto team of reigning champion Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, but after finishing just 11 seconds inside the time cut on Saturday's Queen Stage, the two-time TT world champion opted not to start stage 9.
"It's always a bummer, I think, when there's contemplations of starting or not," Dygert said on the morning of the final stage. She went on to explain that the lasting effects of her horrific crash at the 2020 World Championships were the cause of her troubles once again, her significant discomfort captured in a video that circulated after stage 8. "Whenever it comes to my leg, there's just a clear line, and once that's passed, there's just ... I have to stop. You know, with some other medical problems, other things, it's fine to push through, but with my leg there's just, there's a line and that was crossed yesterday."
The 28-year-old American went on to explain that she's also been struggling with a head cold that made finishing stage 8 all the more difficult, so she'll go home to recover now before resetting for her upcoming goals for 2025.
"There's still a lot to do this season, and we can't risk it, so it was a smart decision and it's something that I can actually be content with – not starting today."
Dygert is just one of the 28 dropouts (so far) before the final stage of an attritional Tour got underway, UAE Team ADQ and Uno-X Mobility down to just three and two riders apiece.
