The Dane started stage 12, as the race headed into the Pyrenean mountains, but was heavily bandaged with his Astana team confirming his injuries.

“Jakob Fuglsang was diagnosed with two very small fractures: in the left scaphoid and in the head of the radius of the left elbow,” a team statement read. “Despite these injures, Jakob is going to start at stage 12 of the Tour de France.”

Fuglsang’s injury could represent a big blow to Aru and Astana’s GC ambitions, however, as well as Fuglsang’s own GC hopes.

Aru started stage 12 just 18 seconds behind Froome overall, but without former Team Sky man Cataldo, who was set to play a pivotal role in the mountains having finished 14^th at the Giro d’Italia.

With Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas abandoning on stage nine after fracturing his collarbone on the descent of the Col de la Biche, and Movistar losing Alejandro Valverde to a fractured kneecap on stage one in Dusseldorf, third-placed Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale) is the only one of the pre-race favourites to still have his full complement of team-mates.