12th place Van Wilder crashes on the Croix de Fer descent and abandons the Tour de France

A very unfortunate setback late in the Tour de France. Ilan Van Wilder had a strong Tour de France and went into the queen stage in 12th place, but the Belgian rider from Soudal Quick-Step crashed on a descent and was unable to continue. He wasn’t the only one to suffer bad luck in the penultimate stage, as Pascal Ackermann also had to drop out.

Van Wilder reached the summit of the Col de la Croix de Fer with the thinned-out peloton and began the descent. That’s when things went wrong for the Belgian: out of the cameras’ view, he crashed. Little information was available about the unfortunate climber, but before the riders reached the bottom of the descent, it became clear that he had dismounted. The rider in 12th place in the general classification was unable to continue.

Van Wilder had a very consistent Tour de France under his belt. Soudal Quick-Step gave the Belgian the freedom to ride his own race in the mountains. The rest of the team was built around sprinter Tim Merlier, who won three stages. But away from the spotlight, Van Wilder held his own. He finished twelfth twice, thirteenth twice, and fourteenth once in key general classification stages.

For a while, he was in contention for a top-ten spot in the general classification, but he struggled a bit more in the later mountain stages. Going into the queen stage, he was in 12th place, 15 minutes ahead of 13th-place rider Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) but also 12 minutes behind 10th-place rider Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies).

Van Wilder wasn’t the only Belgian to suffer a setback. Tiesj Benoot (Decathlon CMA CGM) launched an attack in the queen stage and accelerated on the Col de la Croix de Fer. He hoped to ride his way into the leading group, but he, too, crashed on the descent. Fortunately, it wasn’t too bad for the experienced all-rounder: he was able to rejoin the group of favorites.

Pascal Ackermann wasn't so lucky. The German didn't crash, but had to drop out on the climb up the Col de la Croix de Fer. The Jayco AlUla sprinter was hoping to seize his chance on the Champs-Élysées, but it wasn't to be.