Jonas Vingegaard, the 29-year-old Dane, who was sitting second overall in the 2026 Tour de France, abandoned the race on Sunday after a heavy crash about 20 kilometres from the finish of the 15th stage at the Plateau de Solaison.

Vingegaard went down in a roundabout, taking down several of his Visma-Lease a Bike teammates and Mexican rider Isaac del Toro, who was able to continue.

The winner of the Tour in 2022 and 2023 climbed into the ambulance with his right arm in a sling, writhing in pain.

Yellow jersey wearer Tadej Pogacar managed to avoid the crash. Pogacar, a four-time ​winner, was four minutes and ​30 seconds ahead of Vingegaard in the general classification coming into the ⁠stage.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)