ALEX Dowsett has abandoned the Tour de France.

Maldon-born Dowsett pulled out of the race on Thursday’s 195km Lannemezan to Plateau de Beille stage 12 bringing his debut in the race to an end.

The Movistar rider had a big spill on stage four on one of the infamous cobbled pavé sections of the Seraing to Cambrai route.

It left him needing stitches on an elbow wound as he came home last of the 191 riders.

Dowsett struggled through much of the first week afterwards but carried on and was vital part of the Movistar team that rode to third in Sunday’s stage nine team time trial before Monday’s rest day.

However, Dowsett finished 21 minutes behind winner Chris Froome on the first mountain on stage ten on Tuesday, and then only just finished inside the time cut on stage 11 over the Tourmalet – coming in 33 minutes behind the winner.

Dowsett started stage 12 but just over an hour into the race he began to drop off the back of the peleton clearly suffering on the first climb of the day.

The 26-year-old then called it a day two hours into the race.