Overall, Visma | Lease a Bike did not have a strong showing on the climb to Le Lioran in the Tour de France. Jonas Vingegaard had no answer to Tadej Pogacar’s surge and also lost time to his other rivals, while support riders Sepp Kuss and Matteo Jorgenson failed to make an impact. Jorgenson also took a fall.
ADVERTISEMENT
While Jorgenson hasn't seemed to be at his best on the climbs throughout the entire Tour, Kuss's early drop was surprising. Both riders tried to catch up on the descent, but that's when Jorgenson crashed.
The American was able to continue, albeit battered, and gave a thumbs-up to the camera, but Visma | Lease a Bike will still give him a medical checkup afterward. He ultimately finished 12 minutes behind winner Pogacar.
ADVERTISEMENT
"He just got back on the bus, and the doctor will examine him. It wasn't a pleasant crash—it happened at high speed. But the good news is that he was able to get back on his bike and finish the race," team director Marc Reef explained to IDL Pro Cycling after Stage 10.
Jorgenson wasn't the only one who crashed there. Tom Pidcock and Chris Harper (both riding Pinarello-Q36.5) also went down in the Massif Central on that same descent. “I didn’t expect it. I don’t know what they do to the roads here when they’re cleaned, but they put that white stuff on them. And it’s really slippery,” said Pidcock.
Harper seemed to be struggling the most. The Australian stood there for a moment in pain and eventually finished in 32 minutes. “He’s in worse shape than Tom,” confirmed team manager Kurt Bogaerts. “There’s loose gravel there; I think it’s melting. That’s a spot where they didn’t expect it.”
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'.
No hubo fuegos artificiales de UAE en el Pas de Peyrol y Decathlon pasa al frente para darle más aire a Seixas. Quizá Pogacar tiene rival hoy.
Carapaz trabajando por llegar al medio minuto.
Y caída de los Pinarello, Pidcock y Harper en el suelo. También Jorgenson.
#TDF2026