Remco Evenepoel wins Tour de France’s 15th stage, while Jonas Vingegaard crashes out of race
PLATEAU DE SOLAISON, France — Remco Evenepoel held off Tadej Pogacar and his teammate Isaac Del Toro to win the 15th stage of the Tour de France, while Pogacar kept his commanding overall lead and saw his main rival Jonas Vingegaard crash out of the race.
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Vingegaard fell about 12 miles from the end of the 114-mile trek, which ended with a big climb. His Visma–Lease a Bike team said in a statement posted on X that he sustained a fractured collarbone, which will require surgery in the coming days, and multiple abrasions.
“I’m really sad to see Jonas crash out. Without him the Tour will not be the same,” Pogacar said. “We go back a long way.”
Belgian rider Evenepoel withstood two attacks from Del Toro in the last 800 meters, and then beat Pogacar in a dash to the line for his first stage win of this year’s race and third overall on the Tour. Del Toro finished a few seconds behind them in third.
“It’s amazing, I’m literally trembling from emotions,” Evenepoel said. “You have to understand, I’m racing with the best rider ever and he’s been doing a hell of a climb. For me, it’s a big step forward that I can follow this pace.”
Vinegaard’s retirement means that Evenepoel climbed to second overall, five minutes behind four-time Tour champion Pogacar, with the 22-year-old Mexican Del Toro 5:58 back from Pogacar in third place.
Barring mishap, a fifth Tour crown looks inevitable for Pogacar, who has won four stages so far in this year’s race. Only Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault have won the overall Tour five times.
Sunday’s trek featured one Category 1 (the second-hardest category) up Col de la Croisette, and concluded with a HC climb (the hardest category) up Plateau de Solaison in the French Alps — an 11-kilometer slog with a punishing 9 percent gradient.
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It was a special stage for 19-year-old rising French star Paul Seixas, whose grandparents’ house was about 15 kilometers from the finish. Seixas credits his grandfather, José Manuel Seixas, for introducing him to cycling when he was a youngster. Seixas finished fourth and is fourth in the standings, 6:23 behind Pogacar.
A lead group of nine riders, including Olympic mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock and American Quinn Simmons, headed up the sharp 4.7 kilometers of Col de la Croisette, with Simmons moving ahead.
Shortly after Vingegaard’s crash, which saw the Danish rider tumble close to a roadside kerb after losing control of his front wheel, riders reached the Solaison ascent. Pogacar caught Simmons with just under 5 kilometers remaining, with Del Toro and Evenepoel the only ones able to stick with him.
“I just kept my momentum and tried to go as hard as possible to the finish line,” said Evenepoel, who said his win will silence detractors who said he could not climb well. “On hard mountains like this, it’s really hard to beat guys like Tadej.”
Monday is the second rest day of the race, which concludes on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 26. Tuesday’s 16th stage is an individual time trial and offers Evenepoel, the reigning time trial Olympic and world champion, a good chance for another stage win.
“We have a good rest day and then a beautiful day on Tuesday where I will try to go again for a stage win,” Evenepoel said. ”It’s amazing that I find my best legs for this Tour.”
He won the Tour time trial last year with a stunning ride.
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