Tejay van Garderen abandons Tour de France due to illness

The Tour de France for Tejay van Garderen has ended in major disappointment.

The leader of the BMC team was forced to abandon the race on Stage 17 due to an illness. Team officials wrapped their arms around his shoulders to comfort the 26-year-old American after he got off his bike on the third of the day's five climbs. He then got in the team car and rode to the finish.

Team doctor Max Testa described the illness as a respiratory infection. He said van Garderen started to get a headache, didn’t feel good and couldn’t develop enough power to stay with the other podium contenders — who piled on the speed to get rid of him on Wednesday.

Testa says the combination of fatigue from the illness and the “very hard” start to the stage proved too much.

The doctor had been hoping that van Garderen was “over the worst part” of an illness that the rider had been battling for several days.

He says van Garderen is “clearly shocked” that he’s had to pull out of the race so close to the finish in Paris on Sunday.

Clearly hurting and apparently ill following Tuesday’s rest day, Van Garderen was dropped on the first climb. He later caught up the peloton but was dropped again on the third climb and abandoned the race.

PHOTOS: 2015 TOUR DE FRANCE