PORRENTRUY (Switzerland), July 8: Olympic road race champion Samuel Sanchez has abandoned the Tour de France and looks doubtful for the London Olympics after hitting his head in a crash and suffering a shoulder injury on the eighth stage on Sunday.

The Spanish Euskaltel-Euskadi rider briefly lost consciousness following the incident between France's Belfort and the Swiss town of Porrentruy.

The rider lay in the road receiving medical attention for several minutes and was then taken away on a stretcher amid fears he could have broken his collarbone.

The road race at the London Games takes place on July 28.

This year’s Tour has been marred by a series of pileups which have resulted in an array of broken bones.—Reuters