2 Dutch riders quit Tour Alpine

Dutch team Vacansoleil suffered Tour de France woe on Thursday after two of their riders, Liuwe Westra and Rob Ruijgh, pulled out of the race. The Dutchmen pulled out shortly after beginning the 25.3 km ascension of the Madeleine, one of several big climbs on the 148 km 11th stage in the Alps from Albertville to La Toussuire. It has been dubbed the 'Queen' mountain stage because of its difficulty. Another Dutch team, Rabobank, saw their Australian sprint specialist Mark Renshaw pull out before the day's second climb, the Col de la Croix de Fer. Before the start, meanwhile, Fabian Cancellara pulled out to be with his expectant wife, his RadioShack team announced. Cancellara wore the yellow jersey for a week after winning the opening prologue on June 30, but with his wife expecting to give birth in the coming days the Swiss decided to end his campaign early. Vacansoleil's two abandons and Renshaw's means that 171 of the race's 198 starters remain. The Tour finishes in Paris on July 22.