Pogacar refused to take advantage of breakaway role after Lipowitz crash and Vingegaard delay: "That’s normal"

Stage 15 of the Tour de France was one for the breakaway riders, but there was no rest day for the GC contenders. The stage opened with yet again blistering speeds and a crash involving several big names... or at least delaying them. Tadej Pogacar avoided the crash and found himself in a front group, but he chose not to take advantage of the situation.

Tim Wellens, riding for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, won the stage. This was partly because he ended up at the front following the crash. Pogacar was there too, but held back. With second-place Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) caught behind, Pogacar made no move to capitalize. "That’s normal. The peloton didn’t split because of wind or something, but due to a crash. In a case like that, it’s important to wait for Vingegaard and Lipowitz to come back," team boss Mauro Gianetti told Eurosport.

Visma | Lease a Bike had previously waited for Pogacar earlier in the Tour, and now it was the other way around. Even if Vingegaard was only delayed, and Lipowitz got going quickly again. "There’s no point in turning it into a fight. Luckily, everyone came back without big consequences. That actually helped the breakaway form," Gianetti added. Pogacar later echoed this, saying to Velo: "Tim and I were at the front and we tried to get the group to wait for the others."

Despite the crash in the opening stage, injuries were minimal. Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) had to pop his shoulder back in, and Simone Consonni (Lidl-Trek) suffered some abrasions. Others, including Lipowitz, didn’t even need to visit the medical car. "I was involved in the crash, but it wasn’t serious. I’m super happy with the team. They brought me back. Even though it was an extremely tough day, we did well. It was much harder than expected," he said.

The 24-year-old German defended his third place in the GC and looks ahead with confidence to the third week. "I’m glad we have a rest day. I’m surprised by my third place. I came here without a specific goal. I’m really happy and hope to have the same legs in week three. We’ll make a plan, and if I still feel this strong, I want to go all out in the Alps. I hope I’m ready," he told a group of French journalists.