Th defending champion finished more than six minutes behind stage winner Tom Dumoulin in the Pyrenees.
Chris Froome finished amid his title rivals on stage nine of the tour in Andorra
But fortunately he was in a trailing pack with his main title rivals, including fellow Brit Adam Yates, who stays second.
Dutchman Dumoulin defied rain and hail to beat Rui Costa and Rafal Majka by 38 seconds in Andorra.
Almost as dramatic, though, was two-time Tour winner Alberto Contador quitting the race through illness.
Froome retained yellow jersey but ended more than 6 minutes off the stage winnerFroome and his main rivals finished in a pack well behind stage winner DumoulinFroome battled in rain and hail to leave himself well placed in the Tour de FranceFormer champ Alberto Contador waved goodbye to the Tour de France for another year after succumbing to injuries and illnessAlberto Contador got into his team car after abandoning the Tour de France following severe shoulder injuries picked up on stage oneAdam Yates leads fellow Brit Chris Froome to the line as the main contenders approach the end of stage nine in torrential rain
Yates, 23, kept the young riders’ white jersey, while Mark Cavendish retained the sprinters’ green jersey despite a day at the back of the peloton.
Now the riders will rest on Monday following a 184.5km stage that began in Spain and included three category one climbs and this year’s first mountain-top finish.
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