Jonas Vingegaard has been forced to abandon the Tour de France for the first time in his career after crashing heavily on Sunday’s mountain stage to Plateau de Solaison.

The two-time Tour winner fell near a kerb after negotiating a roundabout in Bonneville, approximately 20 kilometres from the finish. He was unable to continue and left the race in an ambulance with his right arm in a sling.

Vingegaard suffered a fractured collarbone and several abrasions. The severity of the fracture means he will require surgery in the coming days, according to Visma–Lease a Bike’s medical update.

Vingegaard explains costly crash

The Dane was second in the general classification when he abandoned, trailing race leader Tadej Pogačar by four minutes and 30 seconds.

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He remained composed when speaking to Danish broadcaster TV 2 before leaving France.

“I’m actually doing surprisingly well. Of course, it is very disappointing that the Tour ends like this, but that is cycling,” Vingegaard said, as quoted by Sporza.

“Fortunately, it is only a broken collarbone. It is a great shame, but I hope the guys can still win a stage next week.”

Vingegaard said the crash occurred as his team attempted to increase the pace in pursuit of the breakaway.

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“Maybe we entered the roundabout a little too quickly,” he explained. “My front wheel just slipped away, and there was nothing I could do.”

Sepp Kuss, Isaac del Toro and Brandon McNulty were also caught in the incident but managed to continue. Earlier reports naming Jai Hindley among the riders involved appear to have been incorrect.

The withdrawal is Vingegaard’s first from any Grand Tour. It also ends his attempt to complete a rare Giro d’Italia and Tour de France double after winning the Italian race earlier this season.

Pogačar takes commanding lead

Vingegaard’s exit transformed both the stage and the battle for the yellow jersey. Remco Evenepoel went on to win at Plateau de Solaison and moved into second place overall.

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The updated top three after stage 15 was:

• Tadej Pogačar, UAE Team Emirates–XRG – 55:41:31
• Remco Evenepoel, Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe – +5:00
• Isaac del Toro, UAE Team Emirates–XRG – +5:58

Pogačar now holds a substantial advantage heading into the final week, while Vingegaard’s absence brings another chapter of their long-running Tour rivalry to a premature end.

Questions over late-night doping control

Vingegaard and Pogačar had both been subjected to an anti-doping control at approximately 2am before the stage.

Pogačar later questioned whether the disruption and loss of sleep could have contributed to his rival’s crash. Vingegaard acknowledged that the test had not helped his preparation but refused to use it as an excuse.

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“The night-time doping control did not do any good, but it is no excuse for the crash,” he said, as reported by The Guardian.

There is no evidence establishing that the control caused the accident. Visma–Lease a Bike also said Vingegaard had felt strong before the crash.

His departure nevertheless leaves the Tour without the rider considered Pogačar’s principal challenger—and the race without one of its defining rivalries.

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