# Roger Kluge Withdraws from Tour de France After Crash on Stage 13
In a dramatic turn of events during stage 13 of the Tour de France, Lotto Soudal’s Roger Kluge was forced to abandon the race following a crash caused by loose gravel on the descent. The incident occurred with just 62 kilometers left to race, resulting in Kluge and several other riders hitting the ground.
After the crash, Kluge was taken to a hospital in Narbonne. Fortunately, medical examinations revealed no fractures; however, he sustained significant abrasions to his back, right hip, and elbow, with the latter requiring stitches.
Reflecting on the accident, Kluge recounted, *“Suddenly everybody started braking and when I reached for my brakes, I already touched wheels. I clipped out of my right pedal and went down on my right side. I crashed pretty hard and then I realized why everybody was braking… The road was full of little stones and we were just sliding on loose gravel. I had to think of what Caleb said after he went down. Immediately after the crash, I was also in a lot of pain, especially my back hurt a lot. I didn’t think a second of jumping back on the bike.”*
Despite the injuries, it appears Kluge’s Olympic aspirations remain intact. The former Madison world champion is set to compete for Germany in both the Madison and omnium disciplines at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
*“Luckily there are no broken bones, so normally Tokyo will be the next step for me. But first, everything needs to heal well of course. I’m happy that I didn’t break anything and the Olympics are still possible but we will need to see how it goes. Luckily, there’s still some time,”* Kluge concluded, providing a glimmer of hope for his future competitions.
