🎥 Alpe d'Huez at its worst: Einer Rubio crashes into the back of a car and is forced to withdraw from the Tour de France

Einer Rubio has withdrawn from the Tour de France after a brutal crash on Alpe d'Huez. The 28-year-old Colombian had been part of the breakaway all day, but in the final stretch, he crashed into the back of a UAE Emirates-XRG car that had to stop suddenly because fans were standing on the road. Rubio slammed into the rear window and, covered in blood, was forced to withdraw and receive medical treatment.

The climb up Alpe d'Huez had been feared by the riders beforehand because of the huge crowds on the pass, but in practice it seemed to go off fairly smoothly. The general classification contenders at the front were severely hampered, but at first there didn’t seem to be any major incidents. That is, until the footage of Rubio came in and it turned our stomachs a bit.

The climber was still riding at the front of the race, as part of the early breakaway, and although he wasn’t in contention for the win, he was still going full throttle. You can actually hear that from the sound of the crash against the rear of the team car. It appears that Rubio went through the rear window of the UAE car, as evidenced by a photo, which is why his entire face is covered in blood and cuts.

Stage 20 of the 2026 Tour de France runs 170.9 km from Le Bourg d’Oisans to Alpe d’Huez, stacking 5,450 meters of elevation and three hors catégorie climbs: Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Télégraphe into Col du Galibier (highest point at 2,642 m), and the Col de Sarenne before a final steep 4 km rise to the Alpe d’Huez finish. Rain is possible, making the long Galibier descent and Sarenne tricky, with summit temperatures around 18°C and little wind. The stage could suit a breakaway or the GC favorites. Key names mentioned include Sepp Kuss, Thymen Arensman, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Egan Bernal, Richard Carapaz, Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel, Davide Piganzoli, Harold Tejada, Pablo Castrillo, Tom Pidcock, Lenny Martinez, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Guillaume Martin, and Quinn Simmons. Read more