Nathan Van Hooydonck abandons Tour de France before stage 20 due to 'family circumstances'

Jumbo-Visma domestique Nathan Van Hooydonck abandoned the Tour de France, just two days from Paris.

He will not start the stage 20 time trial Saturday, due to family circumstances, his team announced on Twitter.

Van Hooydonck was a key domestique for the squad, protecting Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard, while also setting the pace on the front of the bunch on the flats and uphills.

The 26-year-old’s surname will be familiar to older fans of the sport: his father Gino and uncle Edwig were both pro riders. Edwig Van Hooydonck won the Tour of Flanders in 1989 and 1991.

Also read:

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• Start times for Tour de France stage 20 time-trial
• ‘Green monster’ Wout van Aert hints at yellow jersey after Tour de France mountain mayhem

This comes a day after his Dutch squad took their fifth stage win of the race, with a late attack from Christophe Laporte into Cahors.

It leaves the team of race leader Jonas Vingegaard with four remaining teammates. They were affected by a crash that took out Steven Kruijswijk on stage 15, while Primož Roglič was also a non-starter that day.