Alberto Contador fell heavily during stage 10 of the Tour de France on Monday.

Story highlights

Two-time Tour de France winner falls and injures knee during stage 10

Contador rejoins race but retires 20 kilometers later

Spaniard follows 2013 winner Chris Froome out of this year's tour

Vincenzo Nibali takes stage victory to reclaim yellow jersey

CNN  — 

Two-time champion Alberto Contador is out of this year’s Tour de France after suffering a heavy crash during Monday’s 10th stage.

The Spaniard had completed 62 kilometers of the 161.5-kilometer stage from Mulhouse to La Planche des Belles Filles when he fell off his bike on the descent of Petit Ballon.

After receiving medical attention at the roadside for a bloodied right knee, Contador rejoined the race on a new bike.

Tinkoff-Saxo teammates tried to help their team captain to get back into contention with the main peloton, but their efforts came to nothing when a tearful Contador called it a day 20 kilometers later.

Contador started the day in ninth place, four minutes and eight seconds behind overall leader Tony Gallopin of France with Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) second in the standings following Sunday’s stage.

The 31-year-old won the tour in 2007 and 2009 but was stripped of his 2010 title after testing positive for banned anabolic steroid clenbuterol during that year’s race.

Contador follows last year’s winner Chris Froome out of the 2014 tour – the Team Sky rider’s attempt to win back-to-back titles ended last week.

After injuring his wrist and hip in a fall in stage five on Tuesday, Froome then came off his bike twice more in wet conditions the following day forcing him to retire.

The 29-year-old British cyclist tweeted his sympathies to Contador following the Spaniard’s exit saying it was a “big loss” for the tour before wishing him a swift recovery.

Nibali went on to win the 10th stage to reclaim the yellow jersey.

The Italian overtook Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez in the final kilometer of the gruelling mountain stage to claim a second victory in this year’s race.

France’s Thibaut Pinot took second place on the stage finishing 15 seconds behind Nibali with Alejandro Valverde of Spain taking third spot.

Valverde’s efforts on Monday leave him third overall while Australian Richie Porte (Team Sky) who finished the stage in seventh place, moves up to second overall, two minutes 23 seconds behind Nibali.

Gallopin’s 33rd-place finish on Monday saw him slip to fifth overall.