Joaquim "Purito" Rodríguez
(Katusha) said after losing 15.54 minutes at the finish line in Cauterets, that he gave in at the Tourmalet because "his legs were blocked" and he acknowledged that his strength is now scarce.
Read more about the race at Cauterets
A fall suffered during the neutralized march slowed down the Catalan cyclist, who has now dropped to 19th place overall, 20.42 minutes behind the leader, the British cyclist, Chris Froome.
"I fell during the neutralized march, I took a good tumble. I thought it would be nothing, but my legs were very blocked," he explained.
After accepting that his chances in the general classification have disappeared, Purito admitted his new goal: to fight for a stage win that he can add to the one he achieved at the Muro de Huy.
"I have to recover strength and try to go slowly and calmly again to be one hundred percent. I have to make the most of the few bullets I have left," he said.
Not everything was negative news at Purito's arrival, as the leader of Katusha announced that he will continue with the Russian team until 2016.
"A week ago we told the team yes, we just need to sign. It's done."