Chris Froome withdraws from Vuelta with fractured foot

The two-time Tour de France winner hit a barrier at the start of the brutal 11th stage in the Pyrenees and limped across the line more than seven minutes behind new leader Fabio Aru.

It has now been confirmed that Froome will not continue as he is suffering from a fractured foot.

He signalled on Wednesday night that his further participation was unlikely.

Froome appeared close to abandoning the race when he was dropped from the group of main contenders with three of the six climbs remaining but the 30-year-old doggedly continued with the help of his Sky team mates and managed to finish the stage.

However, with 10 stages remaining, Froome's hopes of emulating Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil (1963) and Bernard Hinault (1978) as the only men to win the Tour and Vuelta in the same year are over.

"I'm really gutted to be leaving the race but the injuries that I sustained on yesterday's stage were too much to continue," Froome said on Sky's website on Thursday. "I hit my right side heavily and the main impact went on my right foot.

"I was desperate to dig in and finish the stage and my team mates did brilliantly to get me through it, but as soon as I got off the bike I couldn't put any weight on my right side.

"An MRI scan has shown that I have fractured navicular bone in my right foot, so now I'll work with our medical team on making a full recovery. I'll be back soon."

The 21-stage race finishes in Madrid on September 13.