Jurgen Van Den Broeck's bad Tour de France continued in the final mountain stage when he was dropped already on the Col du Tourmalet and finished back in 36th. The Belgian is frustrated that illness has made him unable to capitalize on his good condition.

Having finished 3rdin the Dauphiné, Jurgen Van Den Broeck was full of confidence for the Tour de France but things haven't gone the way the Belgian wanted. Illness and crashes have set him back and today he had his worst day yet when he was dropped already on the Col du Tourmalet in stage 19.

His teammates Adam Hansen and Tony Gallopin helped him save the day and he is still 13th in the overall standings. However, that comes as little consolation for the best Belgian GC rider.

"I was really bad," he told Sporza. "My body was dead but I never thought aboutgiving up. I couldn't get to that point and have given everything.

"It would be pretty sad to have to stop now. My teammates worked so hard for me that I could not do that. But I just feel that my body is empty due to that disease and the crashes.

"Whether I finish 15th or 25th in this state does not matter. That's not why we came to the Tour. There is nothing to write about at home.

"First I want to finish this Tour and then I will think of the Vuelta. It is in my head. If I feel good again, I will go to have a lot of fun. But first need to recover.