Two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard has been forced to abandon the race after a high-speed crash during stage 15 resulted in a broken collarbone. The incident, which occurred on a tight right-hand bend, saw several riders, including Mexico's Isaac del Toro of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, catapulted over Vingegaard and into spectators positioned on the outside of the corner. Del Toro reportedly landed on a woman using crutches who was seated.
Vingegaard, a Danish rider, is expected to undergo surgery in the coming days due to the severity of his fracture. His team-mate Sepp Kuss and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's Jai Hindley were also caught in the pile-up but managed to continue the race. This devastating exit marks a significant blow for Vingegaard, who was considered the primary challenger to defending champion and yellow jersey holder Tadej Pogacar.
Stage 15, an 183.9km route from Champagnole to Plateau de Solaison, was unexpectedly won by Belgium's Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. Despite typically struggling on steep ascents, Evenepoel managed to keep pace with Pogacar on the uncategorised final climb before powering away from Del Toro. His victory has generated considerable excitement, with Evenepoel commenting, "I always get so many critics saying: 'You cannot survive steep climbs.' So it means a lot."
Pogacar, who was also subjected to an early morning anti-doping test, maintains a comfortable lead in the overall standings, holding the yellow jersey five minutes ahead of Evenepoel. Evenepoel is now 58 seconds clear of Del Toro. Britain's Tom Pidcock was a strong contender for much of the stage, forming part of an early breakaway group that persisted beyond the demanding Col de la Croisette climb. Pogacar also reclaimed the King of the Mountains jersey, while Denmark's Mads Pedersen retained the green points jersey.
The circumstances surrounding Vingegaard's crash have prompted discussions within the cycling community, particularly concerning his concentration levels. It has emerged that the 29-year-old was woken at 2am local time on Sunday for an anti-doping test by the International Testing Agency. This incident follows a challenging period for Vingegaard, who has been working to regain his peak form since a debilitating crash in 2024 that caused lung injuries and multiple bone fractures, affecting the performance that secured him two previous Tour de France titles in 2022 and 2023.