Rigoberto Urán and Nicolas Roche have been forced to abandon the Vuelta a España 2019.
The pair were both caught in a huge crash on stage six of the race, which happened after just over 100km of racing.
EF Education First rider Urán was a strong contender for the overall title and was sitting sixth overall at the start of the day, while Roche had led the general classification until the first mountain finish on stage five, but was still in the top-10 when he was forced out.
>>> Who’s out of the Vuelta a España 2019 after stage six?
Urán's team-mate Hugh Carthy, who has been a key animator of the race so far in support of his leader, has also abandoned the race.
The 198.9km stage from Mora de Rubielos to Ares del Maestrat opened with a frantic battle as riders tried to form a breakaway, with an escape finally taking shape after 60km.
An 11-rider move went clear and racing was high-paced in the first 100km as the peloton tried to keep the break within range.
The massive crash then happened just after the 100km mark, with riders from Lotto-Soudal, Deceuninck - Quick-Step, Jumbo-Visma and EF Education First involved.
>>> ‘Hopefully I’m good enough to represent the country well’: Geraint Thomas on his Yorkshire World Championship time trial ambitions
Urán, Carthy and CCC Team's Victor de la Parte abandoned almost immediately.
Roche visited the medical car but stepped off the bike shortly after.
Jumbo-Visma's Tony Martin also went down but was able to continue, seen leading the bunch with rips in his shorts and some nasty cuts on his rear.
The fall is a disaster for EF Education First, as their chosen man Urán had been riding strong in the opening week and was just 59 seconds down on the race leader.
Roche had a stellar start to the Vuelta, taking over the race lead on stage two and holding it until the first summit of the race on day five, Alto de Javalambre.
Despite losing his slim lead, Roche started stage six in fifth place overall, 57 seconds back on the red jersey.
‘There's no point to race for 50th place’: Peter Sagan explains why he’s a cycling esports ambassador but won’t compete
Rapha's loss, your gain: prices slashed sitewide amid profitability concerns
