Board to tears!

Chris Boardman suffered "the most depressing moment of my career" yesterday when he was forced to quit the Tour de France.

A tearful Boardman retired after 33 miles of the 13th stage from St Etienne to L'Alpe d'Huez, having dropped three miles behind the pack.

He groaned to a French television cameraman: "The pain is simply too much."

Then he pulled off the road - and out of the world's greatest, and cruellest, cycling contest.

Boardman, 28, who won Olympic gold on the track at Barcelona in 1992, had big hopes of a high finish in the Tour this year - until the mountains got to him.

He fell while descending the Col du Soulur on Monday, pulling muscles in both his neck and back.

But Boardman bravely rode on, undergoing hours of physiotherapy to stay in the saddle.

Between four-hour massages he insisted he would finish the race he calls "the greatest challenge in sport".

But two more mountainous stages proved too steep for Boardman - and even when it came to Friday's time trial around St Etienne, an event far better suited to his talents, he could only struggle in an unimpressive 23rd.

With the glorious finish up the Champs Elysees still a million miles away, Boardman found himself 77 minutes behind German leader Jan Ullrich going into the 13th round yesterday morning.

In 1995 he had been forced out by an even earlier accident - he broke his ankle and wrist during the Prologue. This year he ended the introductory stage with the yellow jersey - but that promising start soon faded into agony.

He said last night: "It's so disappointing. I was happy up until the moment I fell - I was only a couple of minutes off the pace.

"I struggled on until today, but I realised it was impossible to go further. I have to say the hours after my retirement were the most depressing of my career."

The world hour record holder now faces a week- long lay-off.

He added: "I have already spoken to a specialist in England. I will be out of training for at least a week and then I will be back on a bike to aim for the Tour of Spain and the world (time-trial) championships.

"However, they just don't rival the Tour de France."

Marco Pantani of Italy won the stage yesterday but Germany's Jan Ullrich finished second to keep the leader's yellow jersey.

Pantani was injured when he ran over a black cat in last month's Tour of Italy and suffered a near-fatal car crash two years ago. Unlike Boardman, his luck has obviously changed.

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