A minute's silence was observed for Team Sky carer Txema González before the eighth stage of the Vuelta a España.

The popular and widely-respected carer died in hospital in Seville on Friday evening, at the age of 43, and the team announced later they were withdrawing from the race, with team principal Dave Brailsford saying: "We have considered all the elements very carefully and this is the only decision we could take. It's the right one; to show respect to Txema and to look after our team."

Team Sky's riders and support staff stood alongside the peloton for the minute's silence at the start of stage eight in Villena, with Juan Antonio Flecha accepting a leader's red jersey from Phillipe Gilbert on behalf of the team.

The team will now remain in Spain for Txema's funeral early next week.

The tributes have since been pouring in for Txema and here is a selection of them:

"Txema will be remembered as a warm-hearted colleague who was a joy to work with and was universally respected by our team and throughout the pro cycling scene. Our thoughts are with his family and friends." Dave Brailsford on behalf of the whole team

"My thoughts go out to all family and friends off Txema! No words can explain our disbelief. RIP." Steven de Jongh, via twitter

"RIP Txema. Speechless. Such a shock. Such a sad occasion. He is the nicest guy you can ever hope to meet. Thoughts go out to family." Greg Henderson, via twitter

"Just heard the shocking news that Txema González is no longer with us. I'm so shocked. Nicest guy u will ever meet. Lost 4 words RIP." Russell Downing, via twitter

"Thoughts go out to the family of a very good friend Txema González! Rest in peace." John-Lee Augustyn, via twitter

"I will carry with me always the memories of a friend of your humility, your discretion and the passion that you put into your work, the memory of a special person who is no more and who I can no longer find at the end of the stage but will always find in my heart. I miss you Txema." Davide Viganò, via facebook

Garmin-Transitions rider David Millar, a friend of Txema's and on the same team with him when they were at Saunier Duval, has written a moving tribute on www.cyclingnews.com. Here is part of it:

"To see the sadness and confusion amongst the people that knew him on finishing the stage and finding out he'd died was a testament to how much he was loved. Rarely have I seen so much heartbreak...

"Only a week ago he was telling me that he might be coming to the Worlds, the two of us were so excited, working together again, hanging out. It seems strange now he won't be there, and it's not going to be the same without him, nothing will be the same without him. I, and many of us, only knew a little of him. How his family and close friends must feel right now is unimaginable to me. As for Team Sky, it's ripped them to pieces. I'm sure they could carry on, but I don't think they see any reason to now. I feel very sorry for them. I can only say that he was loved by so many. He wasn't just the guy from Sky who died, he's Txema, and he's brilliant."

There are also hundreds of messages of condolence on the team's facebook page.