Richie Porte's Giro d'Italia has come to a premature end after he withdrew due to injuries sustained in a crash during stage 13.
The Team Sky rider was involved in a mass pile-up on Friday, which also involved race leader Alberto Contador, that essentially ended his hopes of winning the pink jersey.
Porte, who was also given a time penalty for changing a punctured tyre on stage 10, continued on through the weekend, but injuries to his knee and hip saw him pull out on the second rest day on Monday.
"The Giro has been my main goal this year and I've worked incredibly hard all season with this race in mind," the Australian said in a statement on Team Sky's official website.
"I've had a lot of bad luck this week with the puncture and the time penalty, but it was the crash on Friday that has taken its toll.
"I fell heavily on my knee and hip, which caused me a lot of pain on Saturday's time trial and yesterday's [Sunday] stage. I just wanted to keep trying and give it everything but now the medical team have advised me not to continue.
"I'm gutted it's ended this way and that I can't stay and support Leo [Leopold Konig], Elia [Viviani] and the team in the last week. They've been outstanding every step of the way and to not be able to repay that is tough.
"The plan for me now is to take some time off the bike, get the medical treatment that I need and reset my goals for the rest of the season and come back fighting. Hopefully I can get myself ready for the Tour [de France] team."