Jonas Vingegaard, forced to abandon the Tour after a fall

BarcelonaJonas Vingegaard has had to abandon the Tour de France after a strong crash on the fifteenth stage. The Danish cyclist —who was more than four minutes behind Tadej Pogacar— fell when he was with the main group and there were about twenty kilometers left to reach the Plateau de Solaison. Isaac del Toro also went down —who climbed from seventh to third place overall— and who helped Pogacar to win several stages in this Tour. The Mexican, however, was able to continue the race without problems and finished third in the stage.

The Danish cyclist already noticed that something was not right after falling off his bike and quickly put his hand to his right collarbone. After a first observation, the doctors saw that Vingegaard could not continue and he got into the medical car with his arm immobilized, which confirmed that he would not be able to continue the French tour.

The Team Visma cyclist was chasing Tadej Pogacar, who in recent days had distanced himself at the top of the general classification. Vingegaard's withdrawal makes the Slovenian cyclist an even greater leader and also benefits Remco Evenepoel and Isaac Del Toro, who move up to second and third position in the general classification, respectively.

A nighttime anti-doping control

Jonas Vingegaard's crash arrives just in a stage that began with complaints from the Danish cyclist. Vingegaard has expressed his surprise after being subjected to an anti-doping control at two in the morning, while he was sleeping. "It's fine that they do these tests, but when they affect sleep and performance...", he warned.

Pogacar was also surprised by this night-time anti-doping control. "I only slept four hours," warned the yellow jersey, who in his case was woken up at five in the morning.

Del Toro, one of the big beneficiaries

Unrivaled —if he still had any— in this Tour de France, Pogacar dedicated the final kilometers of the stage to helping his teammate Isaac del Toro in an attempt to win the stage. That the leader of the UAE and outstanding leader of the race decides to act as a domestique for a teammate to help him in a stage – just as he did in the second, which finished at Montjuïc Castle – perfectly explains how superior he is to the rest of the participants.

But it makes sense, because Isaac del Toro dreams of a podium after Vingegaard's fall. In any case, the Mexican cyclist could not win the sprint, in which Remco Evenepoel maintained a very high pedaling rhythm despite climbing a constant 6% incline. With Del Toro having no options, Pogacar tried to catch him but it was not possible. Thus, with the stage victory, Evenepoel reinforces his second position in the general classification, while Del Toro makes a big leap in the standings, moving from seventh to third place.