On 14 July 2003, during the 9th stage of the
2003 Tour de France, Beloki was in second place overall (just 40 seconds behind Armstrong) and negotiating a turn at speed while descending from
Cote de La Rochette, shortly after passing the
Col de Manse, just 4 km from the stage finish at
Gap. He lost control of his bicycle after he locked his rear brake and the rear tire came off the wheel on a patch of tarmac that was softened by the sun, sending his rear wheel skidding first in one direction and then the other. Beloki suffered a hard fall that broke his right
femur in two places along with his
elbow and his
wrist. Armstrong was following immediately behind Beloki and, to avoid the fallen rider, headed off the road to go down the hill through the underbrush and across a small field. The crash effectively ended Beloki's career as a premier bicycle racer. For the 2004 season, Beloki signed for the French team
Brioches La Boulangère in preparation for the 2004
Tour de France. He was reported as being fully recovered from his injuries by early 2004, but it later transpired that those injuries were taking longer to heal than initially anticipated. By mid-April 2004, Beloki had yet to begin serious competition for the season. He started his home race, the
Tour of the Basque Country, but failed to even complete the first stage before retiring in pain from his injuries. Citing incompatibility with the French team, he switched to the Spanish
Saunier Duval–Prodir team for the remainder of the 2004 season. Beloki switched back to
Manolo Saiz's team (now called
Liberty Seguros–Würth) for 2005. Beloki completed the
2005 Tour de France and finished in 75th place. In the Vuelta a España, he also completed the race without being recognized, since he was only 39th overall. In 2006 he was among those implicated in
Operación Puerto and was withdrawn from the Tour de France. However, on 26 July he was cleared by Spanish officials of any wrongdoing. Payment records from Beloki as well as his race schedule were found in
Eufemiano Fuentes' possession in his office; however, Beloki denies any claim he doped with Fuentes. ==Personal life==