Romain Bardet was forced to abandon his latest bid for Tour de France glory following a heavy crash on Friday, despite finishing the 13th stage of the race.

The 29-year-old Frenchman, riding for the AG2R La Mondiale team, was one of several riders involved in a nasty incident near the midway point of the 191.5-kilometre stage.

He was able to continue but his team later said he would be withdrawn from the race due to concussion.

Bardet sat fourth in the general classification before Friday's stage, just 30 seconds behind leader Primoz Roglic, and said the end to his race was "quite the opposite of what I expected".

He drifted to 11th in the standings by the end of the stage and accepted his fate when the team pulled him out.

"The crash was severe, downhill at high speed, and I struggled all the rest of the day," Bardet said.

"The medical examinations confirmed what I already suspected, and I am not able to continue in the race.

"I know that my team-mates will give their best to finish the Tour de France with strong performances."

A team statement said: "Romain is suffering from a concussion the intensity of which he showed signs at the end of the stage, which necessitated that our medical team insist he undergo a brain scan at the Clermont Ferrand University Hospital, with the help of Dr Mathieu Abott of AS Montferrand.

"The CET scan did not reveal any lesions. However, Romain Bardet must stop all his sporting activities for the moment, and he will therefore not be able to take part in the start of the stage tomorrow."

Bardet has achieved five top-10 general classification finishes in his Tour de France career, going closest to overall victory when he was runner-up to Chris Froome in the 2016 race.