Dylan van Baarle has been forced to abandon the Vuelta a Espana after his collision with an official following Thursday's 12th stage.

Team Sky's Van Baarle was pipped to the stage win by Alexandre Geniez, who then inadvertently clashed with an official inexplicably running past the finish line and veered into the second-placed rider.

The ailing Van Baarle was helped away by his team and managed to battle through Friday's action, but he was not fit to start stage 14.

A Sky statement confirmed that the rider had been bruised as his groin hit the handlebars, causing discomfort that will keep him out of the remainder of the race.

"I was hoping that, with treatment, it would feel better overnight, but the pain has stayed the same," Van Baarle said. "It is a struggle to walk and there's no point going through another stage in this condition.

"It's disappointing but I'm trying not to think about it too much. I'm just focussed on getting better again, recovering and taking care of myself. Luckily, I'm in good hands on this team and they can help me get better soon.

"For now, I think a day off the bike will help. Good luck to the team for the rest of the race, and also thank you to the fans for all their support and nice wishes after the crash."

Team-mate Pavel Sivakov also then abandoned the race on Saturday.

Sky are already missing Grand Tour champions Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas in Spain, with David de la Cruz and Michal Kwiatkowski instead leading their challenge.