It is the second Grand Tour Thomas, 31, has had to abandon this year after a crash on Blockhaus at the Giro d’Italia – when, again, he was second overall at the time – eventually forced him out of the race.

Having missed out on challenging for the maglia rosa as a result, Thomas arrived at the Tour to support Froome’s GC bid but found himself in the race lead after a superb ride in the rain in Dusseldorf.

He became the first Welsh rider to wear the maillot jaune in the process, and eighth Brit, but has suffered a number of crashes since – including over-cooking a descent on stage eight.

His latest crash and injury means Froome will now be without one of his leading domestiques for the remainder of the Tour.

Thomas did appear in more jovial mood later in the evening, however, posting a picture of his torn jersey on Instagram with the caption, “Jersey for sale… Only worn once. Not in 100% condition, slight signs of use. Might need a wash.”

The Welshman was one of four riders to crash out on stage nine, with Robert Gesink (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Manuele Mori (UAE Team Emirates) already out following an earlier crash when Thomas called it quits, and Richie Porte (BMC Racing) also abandoning after a bad crash on the final descent.

Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale-Drapac) went on to win the stage, while Chris Froome (Team Sky) finished third to extend his overall lead.