Evenepoel wins Tour stage 15 as Vingegaard crashes out after 2am doping control
Remco Evenepoel outsprinted Tadej Pogacar to win stage 15 of the Tour de France on Sunday, after Jonas Vingegaard crashed out of the race with a shoulder injury 20 km from the finish.
Crash at Bonneville roundabout
Jonas Vingegaard's Tour de France ended abruptly on the approach to the Alpine climb of Plateau de Solaison. The two-time champion, riding for Visma-Lease a Bike, clipped a curb with his front wheel while exiting a roundabout in Bonneville, about 20 km from the finish. The crash also brought down his teammate Sepp Kuss and UAE Team Emirates-XRG riders Isaac del Toro and Brandon McNulty. Vingegaard, 29, was visibly in pain and was taken to an ambulance with his right arm in a sling. It was the first time he has abandoned the Tour, a race he won in 2022 and 2023 and finished second in 2021, 2024 and 2025.
This is a huge blow. This is really disappointing.
Hours before the stage, Vingegaard had been woken at 2am by doping control officers from the International Testing Agency. Race leader Tadej Pogacar was also tested, at 5am. Vingegaard spoke about the disruption before the start.
I was sleeping very well, but somebody knocked on my door at 2am. It's good that they test, but when it's affecting performance and your sleep, I don't think it's so good.
The timing drew an angry response from Vingegaard's teammate Matteo Jorgenson.
I was asked to keep my opinion on this to myself, but this is a complete lack of respect for the riders. We are focusing heavily on recovery. That is hugely important, especially between two of the toughest mountain stages in this Tour. And then you get woken up at 2am. That makes me really furious.
- Jonas Vingegaard woken by ITA testers at 2am; Tadej Pogacar tested at 5am
- Vingegaard clips a curb on a roundabout 20 km from the finish, bringing down Sepp Kuss, Isaac del Toro and Brandon McNulty
- Vingegaard climbs into an ambulance with his right arm in a sling, ending his Tour
- Remco Evenepoel outsprints Pogacar and Del Toro on Plateau de Solaison for his first stage win of the 2026 Tour
- Pogacar leads Evenepoel by 5 minutes; Del Toro takes the white jersey
Evenepoel takes stage victory
After the crash, the race regrouped before the final climb. Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Pogacar and Del Toro broke clear on the steep slopes of Plateau de Solaison. Evenepoel outsprinted both to claim his first stage win of the 2026 Tour and the third Tour stage victory of his career, following two time-trial wins in 2024 and 2025. Del Toro held on for third, a few seconds back, and took the white jersey as leader of the young riders classification. Paul Seixas and Florian Lipowitz finished fourth and fifth, 58 seconds behind.
Evenepoel moved up to second place overall, exactly five minutes behind Pogacar. The Slovenian, now a four-time Tour winner, paid tribute to his fallen rival.
It's really sad to see that Jonas is out, since 2021, we were always battling out for the Tour, maybe at the beginning we didn't have the best relationship, but then we became good rivals, respected rivals. We are good teammates, even friends... the Tour won't be the same without him.
Pogacar also noted the doping control disruption, saying he did not blame it but that it could have affected Vingegaard's concentration.
Safety and organisation under scrutiny
Former rider Tom Dumoulin was sharply critical of the Tour organisation for the unmarked roundabout where Vingegaard fell.
This is really unbelievable. There should be someone with a whistle. I mean, what are we looking at? This is a totally confusing roundabout with a central island that you might reasonably expect to be there, because it's also at the entrance to the roundabout. But someone should be there with a warning whistle. The Tour organisation should have known this. They ride ahead of the peloton, so they know what's coming. Points like this must be constantly secured.
Visma team director Frans Maassen, however, saw the incident differently. "It was a normal corner, like so many in the Tour. It ended unluckily for us," he said. Maassen confirmed that Vingegaard was taken to hospital but had no immediate update on whether he had suffered a fracture.
What comes next
With Vingegaard out, Pogacar's lead over Evenepoel stands at five minutes. Del Toro sits third overall, ahead of Seixas. The Tour now heads deeper into the Alps, with the general classification battle reshaped by the absence of the only rider who had consistently challenged Pogacar in recent years. Vingegaard's injury status remains unclear, and his departure ends a five-year streak of the Dane and Pogacar occupying the top two spots in Paris.
