From crying in the hospital with a broken collarbone to winning a stage in the Tour de France: "I had to win"
Cycling
Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
Follow us on GoogleMost dreams don’t come true, but if your name is Jonas Abrahamsen, you believe anyway. The 29-year-old Norwegian from Uno-X Mobility made a name for himself in last year’s Tour by wearing the polka dot jersey for a long stretch. But in stage 11 of this year’s edition, he took it one step further with a stage win after a beautiful breakaway… and an even more incredible story. Because just weeks ago, it looked like he wouldn’t even make the start.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I broke my collarbone four weeks ago at the Baloise Belgium Tour and cried in the hospital because I thought I wouldn’t make it to the Tour de France,” Abrahamsen said in a moving post-race interview. “But the next day I was already on the rollers, and hope returned. From that moment on, I did everything I could to come back, and to now win a stage here… it’s unreal.”
According to his team and doctors, Abrahamsen recovered like “a 12-year-old,” and just making it to the start line in Lille was already a small miracle. But to then out-sprint Mauro Schmid (Jayco–AlUla) in a duo sprint battle after a brutal day in the break? That was something else. “Mauro was so strong today, all day long. It was incredibly hard to get past him in the sprint,” Abrahamsen said. “But I told myself: I’m in the Tour de France, and I have to win this stage.”
Read more below the video
Abrahamsen played it smart, all Tour de France long
He edged ahead just in time, on a day where we finally saw Abrahamsen at the front all day. Last year, he was in nearly every breakaway. This time, he played it differently. “People asked me why I wasn’t in more breakaways to collect points for the mountains classification,” he said. “But the team’s goal was to win a stage, so I had to be smarter with my energy.”
“Last year, I wore the polka dots for 14 days and ended up too tired to win a stage. This time, winning a stage was my dream,” Abrahamsen smiled. Even during Wednesday’s breakaway, he conserved energy cleverly. “I knew I had a good sprint, but we’d been out all day so I had to be smart. Our lead was never that big, and we had to work hard the whole day. I just hoped I could beat him in the sprint, and we had a strong Mathieu (Van der Poel, ed.) chasing us.”
Abrahamsen delivered Uno-X Mobility its first-ever Tour stage win in only the team’s second appearance at the race. “It’s special to have been with the team since the start in 2017 and to see how we’ve grown every year. It’s filled with amazing people who helped me get to this Tour. I’m proud of this team.”
Read also
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
IDL-productions
Celia Gery won the European cyclocross championship while awaiting surgery: 'It'll be a new beginning'
Dutch team coach De Knegt annoyed by European Cyclocross Championships dispute: "A bit of a let down"
Glasgow set to shine as World Cup demand outstrips expectations and Mason eyes first home cyclocross race
Pogačar, Vingegaard and Van Aert went faster again in 2026... except when they didn't
Team GB dominate, China on the rise, Lavreysen the best ever? Five takeaways from the 2026 Track World Championships
Latest Cycling News
Eddie Dunbar wins Vuelta stage as Pinarello-Q36.5 put three riders in top five and Roglič attacks
Tom Pidcock ends 2026 fifth in the world, with Ciccone and Hayter arriving at Pinarello for 2027
Picnic PostNL's WorldTour uncertainty has five rival teams, and Tom Pidcock, watching the UCI closely
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado's injury isn't as bad as feared, but she may not line up for a while
TotalEnergies rescued from collapse, but rider recruitment remains a problem before 27th Tour de France appearance
Popular Cycling News
Sven Nys spoke with Lucinda Brand straight after European Championship drama: 'Is that enough to ultimately relegate someone'
Fears of serious injury to Alvarado, bronze medalist, after the European Cyclocross Championships
Disqualified Schreiber skips European Championship podium: 'I’m very grateful that she said that'
Picnic PostNL's WorldTour uncertainty has five rival teams, and Tom Pidcock, watching the UCI closely
Eddie Dunbar wins Vuelta stage as Pinarello-Q36.5 put three riders in top five and Roglič attacks
Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026
