Jonas Vingegaard’s Tour de France journey concluded abruptly due to a crash that occurred during the 15th stage of the race. The Danish rider, a Tour champion in 2022 and 2023, was involved in an incident near a kerb around 20 kilometers from the stage’s end. He suffered a fractured collarbone along with multiple abrasions.

Vingegaard’s team, Visma–Lease a Bike, announced that surgery on the collarbone is necessary. They shared 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 injury forced Vingegaard to exit the race early, causing him visible distress as he was assisted into an ambulance.

Before the accident, Vingegaard was positioned second overall behind Tadej Pogacar. Stage 15 concluded with a challenging climb, a segment where Vingegaard had anticipated making an aggressive move. The team’s sporting director, Marc Reef, expressed his sorrow, noting, “It is devastating that Jonas has had to leave the Tour de France. It was quickly clear that Jonas could not continue. He was in a lot of pain.” Vingegaard had distinguished himself as one of only eight male riders to win all three Grand Tours.

Rival and four-time Tour de France winner, Pogacar, voiced his sentiments, “I’m really sad to see Jonas crash out. Without him the Tour will not be the same.” Alongside Vingegaard, two other riders, Sepp Kuss, and Isaac Del Toro also fell but managed to continue the race.

Following the crash, Pogacar’s yellow jersey group reduced their pace momentarily, weighing the possibility of Vingegaard continuing, but resumed their normal race pace once his withdrawal became evident. Prior to his crash, Vingegaard appeared set to make a strong attack on the 11-kilometer climb up Plateau de Solaison.

Marc Reef stated, “We had two riders in the breakaway and controlled the peloton. Jonas felt extremely good and we wanted to go for the victory today.” In the final stretch of the race, Del Toro secured third place, following Pogacar and stage winner Remco Evenepoel. Evenepoel moved into second place overall, trailing Pogacar by five minutes, while Del Toro stood in third, 5:58 behind Pogacar.

Furthermore, Pogacar and Vingegaard faced early morning anti-doping tests on the day of the race. Pogacar mentioned that his test took place at 5 a.m., while Vingegaard’s was conducted at 2 a.m.

For more updates and details, visit AP Sports.