Professional cyclist Simon Geschke gave up at the 110th Tour de France. The day after his bad slump on the queen stage of the Tour of France, the 37-year-old started the 18th stage on Thursday (July 20th, 2023), but got off his bike around 75 kilometers before the finish.
For the badly injured Geschke it is the first exit in his eleventh tour participation. “Let’s see how it goes today. I’m glad I’m still in it”, the Berliner had said before the start on ARD. His goal for the 184.9 mostly flat kilometers to Bourg-en-Bresse: “Get through.” But it wasn’t enough.
“Felt bad from the start”
On Wednesday, after driving over the Col de la Loze in the Alps, Geschke was completely exhausted and just before the broom car crossed the finish line. “I’ve had nightmares that were nicer”said Geschke.
“I felt bad from the start, I didn’t know what it was. After that I threw up twice and had chills”, the Cofidis professional described his “hell ride” in the ARD interview: “The queen stage is of course the worst day for it.” In his previous ten tours between 2009 and 2022, Geschke had always reached the finish in Paris.