Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard was forced to abandon the Tour de France after suffering a dramatic crash 20 km from the finish of the fifteenth stage, which took place between Champagnole and Plateau de Solaison, in which the Mexican from UAE Isaac del Toro was also involved. Vingegaard, winner of two Tours de France and one of the favorites in this edition, went down in a curve along with other riders, but the Dane took the worst of it with a heavy blow to his right shoulder.
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The Visma rider fell just over 20 kilometers from the finish of the fifteenth stage, as the peloton was lining up to start the climb. Vingegaard and his team were leading the group with the idea of making it difficult for the race leader. It was then that when trying to pass a median laterally, the front wheel slipped and the Dane hit his shoulder on the ground. His teammate Sepp Kuss rushed to him, although he was able to resume the race.
The pains of the two-time Tour champion, winner this year of the Giro d’Italia, were soon evident. Vingegaard brought his hand to his arm and stayed on the ground, motionless, while his team car tried to assist him. After a few seconds of examination, they immobilized his arm and he got into the car. From there to the ambulance to be taken to the hospital. It was later confirmed that he suffered a clavicle fracture. “Due to the severity of the fracture, surgical intervention has been recommended, which will be carried out in the coming days,” said the Visma team.
The shock was total among the group of favorites. Pogacar and Del Toro commented on what happened while the peloton completely slowed down, everyone trying to gather information about the incident.
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Visibly affected by the withdrawal of the rider he has competed against in the Tour for the last six years, Pogacar said that “the Tour will not be the same” without him.
“We have known each other for a long time, we have been through a lot since 2021, we have fought, we have had our ups and downs. But it is sad to see him abandon the Tour like this, I hope he recovers soon and fights for other goals,” added the UAE team leader.
Tadej Pogacar said that the incident may have been influenced by the doping control he underwent at 2 a.m. “It is not human to be tested at those hours,” he said. “I was tested at 5 a.m., the deep sleep phase had already ended. But he was tested at 2, it may have influenced the crash. It is a moment of distraction and in the Tour the only time we can rest is during sleep,” said the leader, well positioned to claim his fifth Tour.
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