Plugge points to reason for Vingegaard's crash: 'Because of that, we have now lost the number 2 of the Tour de France'
CyclingThursday, 23 July 2026 at 18:07
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Follow us on GoogleFor a long time, the 2026 Tour de France was relatively spared from serious crashes, but unfortunately, there were several incidents in the second half of the race. Richard Plugge, riding for Visma | Lease a Bike, saw his team leader Jonas Vingegaard fall behind—both literally and figuratively—at a point where, in his opinion, it really shouldn’t have happened.
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Ahead of Friday and Saturday’s stages— both of which finish at Alpe d’Huez —we spoke with Plugge. The team director of Visma | Lease a Bike, the largest cycling team in the Netherlands, has competed in the Alpe d’Huez race himself on multiple occasions. He has also spoken out in the past about the impact of the large crowds, which are expected again this weekend.
Plugge—whose full article on the “Dutch mountain” you can read on Friday morning—cites the crowd as one of the two threats to the Tour de France. Another issue, which he says was proven once again for him and his team on Sunday, is the route that will be presented in France in 2026.
Plugge: 'The course is getting more and more dangerous'
"It's simply getting more and more dangerous," he explains. "And that's exactly why Jonas crashed on Sunday. It was a very dangerous spot that wasn't properly marked. Life-threatening, in other words. As a result, we've now lost the number two rider in the Tour de France," Plugge sighs.
Vingegaard crashed at a roundabout during the stage to Plateau de Soilason. Victor Campenaerts—at the front of the peloton—cut the corner sharply behind the lead motorcycle, triggering a chain reaction. Vingegaard was riding fifth in line on the narrow roundabout when he hit the asphalt. The Dane suffered a broken collarbone as a result.
At the roundabout, the central island was marked, but there were no other signs indicating just how dangerous it could be. According to Plugge, this is part of a larger problem that, in his view, isn’t limited to the Tour de France. “It’s just getting more and more complicated to make it safe, with all the speed bumps, roundabouts, and unmarked traffic islands.”
Another fall on Wednesday due to a poorly marked spot
Two days after Jonas Vingegaard’s crash, the Tour de France lost another general classification contender in Florian Lipowitz. On Wednesday, yellow jersey wearer Tadej Pogacar narrowly avoided a crash after several riders fell on an unmarked ledge.
Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
- It's interesting that Plugge blames the course, and the lack of proper warning, while his rider, Jonas V., blames his own carelessness. Clearly, the sharp curve wasn't adaquately policed, and there's no excuse with not doing more, doing everyting, in fact, to protect the riders; but it's also true that ALL the other 170 riders (approx.) made it through that curve, without incident, except for a few who were taken down by Jonas. It's also true that Visma either reconned the stage, or should have, and if they did, then their team should have been prepared for the situation, and, if they had extra concerns, they should have lodged their worries with the race organizers. If they did so, they have not indicated that they did.Instead of only placing blame on others, however warranted, Visma needs to look more closely at their own dereliction.rjb23-07-2026
- - Grande artículo, pero una duda: ¿por qué no neutralizan esos tramos urbanos tan peligrosos? Merci/thanks for any insight.samanthak23-07-2026
- - Feel gutted for Lipowitz as well. GC getting decided by street furniture instead of watts and tactics is not the sport I want. Sort the route safety, then let them race.robert6523-07-2026
- - Pogacar nearly binning it on an unmarked ledge two days later kind of proves Plugge’s point. If the yellow jersey isn’t protected by maximum caution signage, who is?pedalpowe2923-07-2026
- - Can someone explain why a “central island marked but no other signs” is considered acceptable? Don’t they use those fluo foam barriers or the big chevron mats anymore?julien23-07-2026
- - Sorry but blaming “the crowd” feels like a cop-out. The roundabout wasn’t marked properly—full stop. That’s on the organisers. Riders will always push; make the obstacles obvious or remove them.gearguru3323-07-2026
- - Two Alpe d’Huez finishes back-to-back is box-office, but packing crowds on Dutch Corner x2 seems mad after what we’ve seen. Love the spectacle, hate the risk calculus. Balance, please.bikebuffj23-07-2026
- - Campenaerts cutting the corner behind the moto is a racing move you see all the time in crowded sections, but on a narrow traffic circle it becomes Russian roulette. Race jury and commissaires need to neutralise those choke points or at least yellow-flag them.cadencekingm23-07-2026
- - Question for the experts: when Plugge says the route is “more dangerous,” is that on the organisers (ASO) for design/marking, or more on local municipalities for road furniture? Who decides where the extra barriers/signage go?patriciaw23-07-2026
- - Brutal to lose Jonas like that. Fifth wheel into a blind, under-marked roundabout is exactly the scenario teams have warned about for years. You can’t have 60 kph funnels with no extra marshals or padding and expect no GC carnage.davidm23-07-2026
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