Richard Calapaz and Alberto Bettiol have withdrawn from the Tour de Suisse in a major blow to EF Education-Easy Post after crashing and injuring themselves on Wednesday's stage 4.

Bettiol was the race leader on stage 4, and even though his crash was not shown on television, the broadcast showed his bib shorts almost completely torn, with many road rash and bandages on his arms exposed.

Kalapas was isolated at the summit finish and was unable to follow the attack of Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) from the GC group, finishing in 22nd place.

"Richard Calapas and Alberto Bettiol will not start stage 5 of the Tour de Suisse due to injuries sustained in a crash on stage 4," posted EF on social media.

"Alberto suffered a road rash and bruising, while Richard suffered a facial injury requiring stitches. Rest and recovery is a priority for both athletes and we wish them both a speedy recovery."

An update on the Calapaz website reveals that it was Bettiol who fell first on the right-hand curve, which he was unable to avoid, and that "Bettiol's bike hit him hard in the mouth, causing severe internal injuries."

In addition, Carapas received five stitches in one of three cuts on his mouth, causing swelling in that area and in his nose, which led EF to withdraw him from the Tour de Suisse.

Carapas entered stage 4 with a 19-second lead over his teammate and was preparing for a GC battle on the Gotthard pass. The crash took its toll on him, even after the bloody accident, and the Olympic champion was unable to significantly improve on his personal best on the 8.1km climb.

The Ecuadorian rider will lead EF's GC hopes at the Tour de France later this month after a disappointing first year with the team in 2023, when he crashed on the first stage and left the race with a knee injury. Despite yesterday's crash, he remained hopeful of a bigger goal in France.

"There is not much point in continuing to race. I'm not eating well because of the injury and the inflammation. Right now I'm just thinking about recovering," Kalapas said in the same update.

"My goal is the Tour de France and I will keep working towards that. I will probably have to spend a couple of days without touching the bike, but after that I will train normally and hopefully arrive in Florence in the best shape possible."

Bettiol and Carapaz will take a little over two weeks to rest, recover, and try to find their best form before leading the men in pink at the Tour. The Ecuadorians will head to Andorra to train until the start of the race on June 29.