Team Sky lost their Tour de France leader when two crashes forced Chris Froome to abandon the race. Team principal David Brailsford says that the defending champion had no choice but to abandon and remains hopeful that Richie Porte is ready to step into the captaincy role.

Chris Froome has been forced to withdraw from the Tour de France after crashing heavily on two occasions during the fifth stage.

Froome suffered an early crash on day four of the race and then fell twice more on Wednesday's rain-soaked stage from Ypres to Arenberg.

The second crash came with 69km to go and despite being able to return to his feet, the 29 year old was clearly in pain and after consulting with Team Doctor Alan Farrell and Sports Director Nicolas Portal, he climbed into the team car.

As Froome left the race Team Principal Dave Brailsford said: "This is incredibly sad for Chris and for the team who have supported him so well. We really believed in Chris and that he would win this race again. His bravery was incredible but the crashes just took their toll and he had no choice but to abandon.

"It’s not to be for Chris this year but that’s sport and he’ll be back. He'll head home tonight and we’ll make sure he's looked after on the way back to full fitness.

"On a day like today you know there are going to be some winners and some losers. We’re sorry for the fans who showed such great support in the UK but this does not take away from what was a fantastic start to the race."

Brailsford explained that Richie Porte will now step up to the position of team leader: "When you have a setback you need to be resilient and flexible. You recalibrate your goals and you go again. Our backup plan is Richie Porte who's a great rider who will now lead the team. He’s come into form at the right time and given the way he is climbing we’ve got an exciting two and a half weeks ahead of us.

"This is Richie’s opportunity now, he steps up and he has the full support of the team. One man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity and part of sport is adapting to changing circumstances."