Jonas Vingegaard's Tour de France ended in devastating fashion on Sunday when the two-time champion crashed near the finish of Stage 15, fracturing his collarbone and requiring surgery that will rule him out of the remainder of the race.
The 29-year-old Visma–Lease a Bike leader went down approximately 20 kilometres from the finish on the approach to the Plateau de Solaison climb in the French Alps, losing control of his front wheel near a roadside kerb. He was seen clutching his right arm in a sling as he was helped into an ambulance, his Tour dreams over in an instant.
"Jonas sustained a fractured collarbone and multiple abrasions," his team confirmed in a statement. "Due to the severity of the collarbone fracture, surgical intervention has been recommended and will be performed in the coming days. Join us in wishing Jonas a smooth recovery."
The Danish rider had been lying second overall behind defending champion Tadej Pogačar heading into the stage, and had looked poised to attack on the brutal 11-kilometre final ascent that averages a punishing 9% gradient.
"It is devastating that Jonas has had to leave the Tour de France," said Visma–Lease a Bike sporting director Marc Reef. "It was quickly clear that Jonas could not continue. He was in a lot of pain. Jonas felt extremely good and we wanted to go for the victory today. Unfortunately, cycling can be very cruel at times."
Vingegaard, who in 2023 became one of only eight male riders to have won all three Grand Tours, now faces a recovery period of several weeks following surgery. His absence reshapes the general classification battle, removing Pogačar's most formidable rival.
The stage itself was won by Remco Evenepoel, who held off two attacks from Pogačar's teammate Isaac Del Toro in the final 800 metres before outsprinting Pogačar to the line for his first stage win of this year's Tour and the third of his career.
"It's amazing, I'm literally trembling from emotions," Evenepoel said. "You have to understand, I'm racing with the best rider ever and he's been doing a hell of a climb. For me it's a big step forward that I can follow this pace."
Evenepoel's runner-up finish lifted him to second overall, five minutes behind Pogačar, with the 22-year-old Mexican Del Toro a further 58 seconds back in third place. Pogačar, chasing a record-tying fifth Tour title, expressed his disappointment at losing his main challenger.
"I'm really sad to see Jonas crash out," the four-time champion said. "Without him the Tour will not be the same."
The crash also brought down Vingegaard's teammate Sepp Kuss and Del Toro, though both were able to continue. Pogačar's yellow jersey group initially slowed upon hearing the news before resuming normal racing once it became clear Vingegaard would not continue.
With five stages remaining — including another high-mountain stage in the Alps and a final individual time trial — Pogačar now holds a commanding five-minute buffer at the top of the standings.
Sources
- https://apnews.com/article/tour-vingegaard-crash-abandons-70097873a80919b7484b10fff9aadb4a
- https://apnews.com/article/tour-stage-15-evenepoel-pogacar-vingegaard-crash-5da382e0ca12fc9469b56e15fcaf1105
