good morning everyone! After a long 24 hours with no sport (other than baseball or some minor tennis tournaments) to consume without abandon, we return to the final stages of the Tour de France.
What else can we talk about than the Tour de France? Is it possible this event held the biggest story in global sport on Sunday? If you ask fitzie, it might have.
Jonas Vingegaard, two-time Tour de France champion and archrival to Tadej Pogacar, crashed out of the tour on Stage 15 on Sunday. First, a look at
the crash itself:
Now, for the backstory.
- Vingegaard won the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023. He would be the greatest cycler on earth if not for Pogacar. The Danish cyclist was runner-up in the 2021, 2024 and 2025 TDF’s behind Pogacar. Vingegaard was on course for another second-place finish behind Pogacar this year. It’s a remarkable rivalry.
- In 2024 Vingegaard suffered a punctured lung, broken collarbone and several ribs during the Tour of Basque Country, held about four months before the Tour de France. My observations watching the 2024-26 TDFs since then is that Jonas became a far more cautious rider after this and, coupled with his inferiority to Pogacar, grew slightly jaded to cycling. But that is for him to answer, not me.
- He entered this year’s tour having won the Giro d’Italia, another big cycling event.
- The night of the race, Vingegaard was awoken at 2am to participate in a drug test. Pogacar was woken up at 5am.
The final bullet point dangerously points to a correlation between the drug testing and the crash, although that is not what I am doing. But, since the crash occurred, the timing is now being questioned. Even Pogacar suggested that the testing call had some fault for the crash. However, protocols are in place for a reason, and there are scientists who know far better about how doping works than I – an amateur football blogger / Haim enthusiast – do.
Now, to the crash itself. We’re midway through Stage 15. Vingegaard and Pogacar are in the Peloton, with the Jumbo Visma boys leading the Dane. It appears as if they circle the bend too quickly, Vingegaard loses control and skids onto the pavement. From watching the replay it’s pretty clear he suffered a broken collarbone.
Just like that his tour was over. He was taken into an ambulance. A few hours later JV confirmed the broken clavicle, adding that he’d need surgery.
Remco Evenpoel, the Belgian cyclist playing third wheel to the storied rivalry, went on to win the stage. It appeared as if Pogacar had no interest in winning it, and frankly Pogacar looked to be affected upon hearing news of Vingegaard’s abandonment.
Pogacar had some nice words for his rival and friend after the race:
The tour continues today, and the race is surely on. Not for first, but for second. Leading that is the aforementioned Evenpoel. But there’s also the 19-year-old French cyclist Paul Seixas (wearing the white jersey), Pogacar’s teammate and Mexican champion Isaac Del Toro, and British cyclist Tom Pidcock.
However, the race is far from won for Pogacar. The tour can change in an instant. It was a brutal lesson that was dealt on Sunday. Right now, for Pogacar, the primary goal is staying safe and healthy – and possibly to help launch Del Toro onto the podium.
As for Vingegaard, it’s a brutal way to exit the tour. And, frankly, unfair. Who knows what this means for his career but I definitely hope it doesn’t end with a crash.
Fitzie’s track of the day: Idiot Box, by Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory
And now for your links:
BBC: “Gifted, charismatic and passionate amid highs and lows – Keegan obituary”
The Guardian: “A pioneer and a superstar, Kevin Keegan’s achievements were extraordinary”
The Telegraph: “Ungracious in victory, disgraceful in defeat: Argentina attack Spain with kicks and punches”
ESPN: “Lionel Messi thanks Argentina, says pain from loss ‘immense’”
