Pogacar Survives Tour de France Crash
Rivals’ Sportsmanship Praised After Stage 11 Scare
Tadej Pogacar experienced a heart-stopping moment on Wednesday during stage 11 of the Tour de France, hitting the tarmac in the race’s closing kilometers. Crucially, the Slovenian escaped without losing any ground in the general classification, thanks to the sporting gestures of his fellow contenders.
Close Call in Toulouse
The world champion went down at speed approximately four kilometers from the finish line in Toulouse, having made contact with the wheel of a rider ahead. As the incident occurred outside the 3km safety buffer, Pogačar was initially at risk of conceding time. However, the riders vying for the overall lead reportedly eased their pace, allowing the UAE Team Emirates-XRG star to rejoin the main group and finish with them.
Post-crash, Pogacar was observed with visible damage to his jersey and shorts. He described the incident, stating, “I’m quite ok. I’m a bit beaten up, but we’ve been through worse days.”
He detailed how another rider’s sudden move across the road caused the crash. “Luckily I just have a little bit of skin off. I was scared when I saw the sidewalk that I was going with my head directly to the sidewalk, but luckily my skin is tough and stopped me.”
Admiration for Peloton’s Gesture
The defending champion expressed his gratitude towards his competitors for their honorable conduct. “Really big respect to everybody in front,”
Pogacar commented. “Obviously the race was more or less over back there, but still, they could take time – maybe not take too much time – but I would need to go really deep to come back like this.”
UAE Team Emirates-XRG manager Mauro Gianetti echoed this sentiment, calling the peloton’s wait “something special.” He added, “I think everybody could see it was not Tadej‘s fault. It was just a crash and he was there. Cycling has shown again that everybody likes to play fair.”
Sports director Matxin Fernández informed journalists that Pogacar would undergo a medical evaluation. “At the moment, the movement is good,”
Matxin confirmed.
This incident occurred on a stage that saw Jonas Abrahamsen of Uno-X claim victory from a breakaway. The Tour de France now heads to the Pyrenees for Thursday’s challenging summit finish at Hautacam.
Looking Ahead to Hautacam
Despite the setback, Pogacar remains focused on the upcoming stages. “Tomorrow is a big day coming. We’ll see how I recover,”
he said. “Normally the day after a crash you’re never at the best, but I will give my best tomorrow and we’ll see. I think we’re ready as a team for Hautacam.”
In cycling, a rider’s ability to recover and perform after a crash can significantly impact their overall race standing. For instance, at the 2023 Tour of Flanders, Mathieu van der Poel, though suffering abrasions from a crash, managed to remain in contention due to timely support and his own resilience (Cyclingnews, 2023).
