'That's cycling' – Vingegaard is philosophical after Tour-ending crash
Jonas Vingegaard dominated headlines on Sunday afternoon after a late crash ejected the two-time Tour de France winner from the 2026 edition, ending a streak of top-two finishes that has run since 2021. Shortly after a broken collarbone was confirmed, Vingegaard said his own piece.
"I’m doing surprisingly well,” Vingegaard told Danish broadcaster TV2 the evening after stage 15. “It’s obviously very disappointing for us to be forced out like this, and for the Tour to end this way. But that’s cycling. Fortunately, it’s only a broken collarbone." Adding, "I can feel it, but I’ve had some painkillers, so it’s okay."
Iain Treloar
There was much speculation as to the exact cause of the crash, from the race moto, the 2am doping control to bike handling through the roundabout, but Vingegaard himself was not willing to lay blame anywhere in particular.
"What happened was that we were going for the stage win, and we perhaps went into this roundabout a bit too fast. And then my front wheel just skidded out. I didn’t have time to do anything, and that’s just how cycling races are sometimes. It’s just a massive shame for us, to be completely honest.
"Maybe the motorbike made a mistake, but we can’t rely on the motorbikes. We have to use our own judgement. People make mistakes, and there’s nothing we can do about that now."
Vingegaard is now expected to travel home to Denmark where he'll undergo surgery to his collarbone. And that's as far forward as he and Visma-Lease a Bike are prepared to plan thus far.
