Knockout blow for Visma as Vingegaard crashes out, Evenepoel overturns UAE numbers
CyclingSunday, 19 July 2026 at 21:04
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Follow us on GoogleThe fifteenth stage of the Tour de France was won by Remco Evenepoel. The Belgian from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe beat the UAE duo Tadej Pogacar and Isaac Del Toro in the sprint on Plateau de Solaison on a day with large gaps, where Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) crashed hard and withdrew from the Tour de France.
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The fifteenth stage is also the final stage of the second week, before we have a second rest day on Monday. So it’s full steam ahead, with the start at 1:20 p.m. from Champagnole and the finish just before 6:00 p.m. on the Plateau de Solaison. A monstrous climb, spanning 11.3 kilometers with an average gradient of 9 percent. If Vingegaard thinks he has a chance, he’ll have to take it on here against Pogacar.
The start, however, was far from ideal. Both Vingegaard and Pogacar were woken up in the middle of the night by doping control officers. This resulted in a disturbed night's sleep for the two stars, who handled it reasonably well. Their teammates were less forgiving of the officials. In any case, the pair simply had to start the tough mountain stage.
Arensman on the attack once again
The breakaway was a while in coming, thanks to an early intermediate sprint. After Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) had beaten Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) there, the action could begin. We saw a fierce battle for the day’s breakaway, involving, amongst others, Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) and Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step). After forty kilometres, however, it was Thymen Arensman (Netcompany INEOS) who had opened up a gap.
He was joined by the Spaniard Xabier Mikel Azparren (Pinarello - Q36.5). Having two breakaway riders in a mountain stage like this is rare, and the battle in the peloton continued. A group of eight riders caught up, including Tim van Dijke (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Mauro Schmid, Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla), and Ion Izagirre (Cofidis). But EF Education-EasyPost had missed the breakaway.
The American team therefore took the lead to reel in the ten front-runners. They succeeded, and with just over 100 kilometers to go, we once again had a full peloton.
Large group finally breaks away
And it wasn’t just any names at the front. We saw big names like Egan Bernal, Kévin Vauquelin (Netcompany INEOS), Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla), Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step), Yannis Voisard (Tudor), and Tom Pidcock (Pinarello - Q36.5) among the 24 breakaway riders. The Briton was the highest-ranked rider in the breakaway, eight minutes ahead.
That group gained about three minutes, but thanks to all the breakaway activity in the first two hours, UAE Team Emirates-XRG only had to control half of the race. They put their riders back at the front and kept the gap to a minimum.
That group gained about three minutes, but thanks to all the breakaway activity in the first two hours, UAE Team Emirates-XRG only had to control half of the race. They put their riders back at the front and kept the gap to a minimum.
Vingegaard crashes out of the Tour de France
Schmid pushed on down the descent and continued solo. He built up a small lead over the rest of the breakaway, whilst Visma | Lease a Bike continued to ride hard. Vingegaard seemed really up for it. But not long after, disaster struck. The Dane was the first to go down in a bend, taking Isaac Del Toro with him, amongst others. But whilst the Mexican was able to carry on, Vingegaard remained on the ground.
He immediately felt his collarbone: it was clear there was an injury. He got into the medical car and was unable to continue. There was some uncertainty in the peloton about how to proceed, and that worked in the breakaway’s favour. They gained some time back. Schmid was the first to tackle the Plateau de Solaison, the gruelling final climb. But Pidcock’s group was closing in fast.
On the early, steep sections, they caught up with the Swiss rider. It was Simmons who made his move and flew past Schmid. Yet the breakaway riders saw their chances dwindle once more, as Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe set the pace amongst the favourites. The gap quickly went from three minutes to two, and then even less.
Pogacar works for Del Toro, with an incredibly strong Evenepoel
The yellow jersey wearer began doing the hard work at the front for Del Toro, who was clearly feeling incredibly strong. Before long, a handful of riders were still on his wheel, but before you could say ‘Pogi’, only Del Toro and Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) were able to keep up. His team-mate Florian Lipowitz, Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) had to let them go.
Thanks to Pogacar’s pace, the gap to the leader Simmons closed very quickly, but the gap to the chasers also widened, with Seixas and Lipowitz leaving Ayuso behind. With four kilometres to go, Pogacar and his team-mate had caught up with the American champion, and they continued to ride hard. There, we saw Del Toro struggling, prompting Pogacar to ease off the pace for a moment.
Could Evenepoel, who still looked incredibly fresh, capitalise on this? He did little to lead the chase, as Lipowitz was just thirty seconds behind. The Belgian therefore did not launch a breakaway. We entered the final kilometre with three riders, but there the resurgent Del Toro suddenly accelerated. The Mexican failed to break away, however. It came down to a sprint: Del Toro went for it early again, but Evenepoel countered. Pogacar couldn’t get past them.
Del Toro finished eight seconds behind, whilst Seixas and Lipowitz were already nearly a minute behind, and Ayuso lost even more time.
Result Stage 15 of the 2026 Tour de France
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - Bit harsh to gloss over how bad Mas was last time on Calar Alto—context matters: he was sick then. He’s been super consistent this Vuelta. If the wind had split today, we’d be having a different conversation. Vamos Enric, a disfrutar mañana!andrewf02-09-2026
- - Valverde’s right to be cautious. Roglič might not be peak 2019 Roglič, but he only needs18 and a 32 km chrono is a big canvas. Enric has to bank time on Calar Alto or at least limit losses. Fisher-Black talking “fireworks” makes me think Visma’s got something cooked for the last week.jeremya02-09-2026
- - Not sure I get this. If Roglic is better at time trials, why doesn’t he just attack now instead of waiting for Stage 18? Do teams plan to save energy for that or is it risky?michael5402-09-2026
- - Love seeing Enric hold red through the windy stages. Movistar actually managed the echelons scare pretty well today—textbook positioning. Thursday at Calar Alto is where we’ll see if that TT deficit can be padded with climbing legs.velodromevirtuoso102-09-2026
- - Appreciate the candor. Axeon to HPH to Epafel gives him a rare view across tiers. He’s not just taking shots at UAE/INEOS/Visma; he’s saying everyone gossips at dinner and no one trusts anyone. Sadly, very cycling.michael5402-09-2026
- - The Neves shout feels damning. A four-year EPO/blood ban and straight back into a top GC at Volta… eso es mala señal, no?lindae02-09-2026
- - Sorry, I’m confused—what is watts per kilogram exactly? Is4 a lot for pros, or just normal on climbs?bikebuffj02-09-2026
- - “If it’s not banned yet, is it doping?” That’s a slippery slope, mate. Ethically it still stinks, even if technically legal. Rules lag science.cadencekingm02-09-2026
- - Short but true: WT isn’t clean-clean, but it’s cleaner. Keegan nails the nuance.robert6502-09-2026
- - This paints Portugal as the “Wild West,” but is there data on ADAMS whereabouts failures or OOC tests there vs. WT nations? Would love numbers, not just stories.velodromevirtuoso102-09-2026
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