A training crash on the eve of the women's Tour de France forced Italy's Elisa Longo Borghini to withdraw from the event on Sunday.

The Lidl-Trek lead rider suffered no fractures but was left severely grazed.

Longo Borghini's Disappointment

"No broken bones, but I left a lot of skin on the road and I can't get on my bike. I am disappointed not to be alongside my teammates. Good luck girls," Longo Borghini wrote on X.

The Italian won the women's Giro in July and was one of the favourites for the French race, with the first of eight stages starting Monday.

Tour De France Femmes Kicks Off In Rotterdam

The third edition of the Tour de France Femmes starts in Rotterdam with three stages in the Netherlands, and two further stages with sections in Belgium.

The eight-stage race finishes with a climb of the Alpe d'Huez on August 18.