crash stage 20 tour de france

Jury & Fines Tour de France 2023 stage 20 - Carlos Rodríguez suffers time penalty for car drafting after crash

Stage 20 of the Tour de France saw a few crashes, a Thibaut Pinot show and a comeback for Tadej Pogacar in the final mountain stage, with Jonas Vingegaard sealing the overall win.

The jury has taken the following decisions on stage 20:

PREVIEW | Tour de France 2023 stage 21 - Race arrives at Champs-Elysées for celebrations and final glorious sprint

Carlos Rodríguez (INEOS Grenadiers): Extended shelter behind car. 20 second penalty in overall classification, 4 points penalty in points classification, 2 points penalty in KOM classification. 200CHF fine.

INEOS Grenadiers DS Steve Cummings: Extended shelter behind car. 500CHF fine.

Rui Costa (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty): Use of sidewalks not part of the course. 20 second penalty in overall classification, 16 point penalty for points classification, 8 point penalty for KOM classification, 25 UCI points penalty and 200CHF fine.

PREVIEW | Tour de France Femmes 2023 - Team SD Worx versus Annemiek van Vleuten on the biggest race of the year

Tour de france 2023 medical report | update stage 21, read more about:, place comments.

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Tour de France LIVE: Stage 20 results, highlights and standings as Tadej Pogacar wins in Le Markstein

Tadej Pogacar won stage 20 of the Tour de France to Le Markstein as Jonas Vingegaard could begin celebrating the defence of his title in the yellow jersey.

Pogacar proved unable to challenge Vingegaard for yellow in the last week of this race but made his point on the penultimate day as he outsprinted the Dane to the line on the final mountain stage before Sunday’s procession into Paris.

Felix Gall snuck ahead of Vingegaard for second place on the day, while Simon Yates and Adam Yates came in fourth and fifth, results that earn third overall for Adam and see Simon move up to fourth after Carlos Rodriguez suffered the impact of a crash early on the day.

Follow updates from stage 20 of the Tour de France below.

Tour de France 2023 – stage 20

Stage 20: 133km ride to Le Markstein ski resort in Vosges mountains

98km to go: Podium-chasing Carlos Rodriguez crashes

45km to go: Giulio Ciccone secures polka dot jersey

33km to go: Thibaut Pinot attacks!

11km to go: Pogacar and Vingegaard take charge at the front

Tadej Pogacar wins stage 20!

Jonas Vingegaard seals yellow jersey

Highlights of stage 20

16:38 , Lawrence Ostlere

Watch the last kilometre of that thrilling stage 20:

Tour de France LIVE – Simon Yates speaks

16:35 , Lawrence Ostlere

Simon Yates, who finished fourth today and fourth overall. “We were looking for the stage, but I didnt have the legs to jump across and UAE ramped it up in the final anyway. I’m pleased with [my Tour]. I lost 40 seconds early doors in a stupid crash, other than that, I’ve been quite good. I had a couple of days where I suffered in the heat but other than that I’m quite happy.”

Tour de France LIVE – Tadej Pogacar speaks

16:26 , Lawrence Ostlere

“I’m me again,” Tadej Pogacar says. “It was really cool to finish like this. Adam led me out really well, thanks to him it was a bit easier for me to prepare the finish.”

Stage 20 – top five

16:24 , Lawrence Ostlere

Here’s how they finished in that front group:

1. Tadej Pogacar2. Felix Gall3. Jonas Vingegaard4. Simon Yates5. Adam Yates

Adam Yates finishes on the podium

16:23 , Lawrence Ostlere

Brilliant by Carlos Rodriguez, who fought back after that nasty early crash to finish the stage, losing only one spot in the overall standings. Adam Yates takes third on the GC, Simon Yates finishes fourth, Rodriguez is fifth in his first Tour de France and Pello Bilbao is sixth. Jai Hindley is seventh and Felix Gall takes eighth.

Jonas Vingegaard wins the Tour de France

16:18 , Lawrence Ostlere

Jonas Vingegaard, of course, gets the consolation prize of confirming his second Tour de France triumph. He will enjoy the procession to Paris tomorrow.

🤝Respect. #TDF2023 | @TamauPogi | Jonas Vingegaard pic.twitter.com/fdD8mVe7dz — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 22, 2023

16:15 , Lawrence Ostlere

Tadej Pogacar sprints away from the climbers and Vingegaard sits up before the line, knowing the game is up. Pogacar celebrates fiercely – that meant a lot.

Tour de France LIVE – Vingegaard vs Pogacar

16:14 , Lawrence Ostlere

250m to go: Vingegaard tries to outsprint Pogacar around the outside, here we go...!

Tour de France LIVE – Yates setting up Pogacar for sprint

16:12 , Lawrence Ostlere

1km to go: Adam Yates leads Pogacar, with Vingegaard, Simon Yates and Felix Gall in tow...

2km to go: Simon Yates puts in a little accelaration and Pogacar leads the chase. The front five are now back together, with Adam Yates back on the front, trying to set up his teammate Pogacar to sprint to the line. Can anyone outsprint the Slovenian in this group? It seems unlikely.

Tour de France LIVE – five riders at the front contesting stage win

16:09 , Lawrence Ostlere

4km to go: The Yates twins have caught the leading trio, so we have five riders at the front now:

Adam Yates and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates), Simon Yates (Jayco-Alula), Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Felix Gall (Ag2R).

Tour de France LIVE – Adam Yates closing in to help Pogacar

16:07 , Lawrence Ostlere

5km to go: Gall, Vingegaard and Pogacar have crested the final climb and are riding slightly downhill towards the finish. Vingegaard looks at Gall as if to say, how do we stop Pogacar and Yates doubling up on us? Gall tells the yellow jersey to take a turn on the front, and he duly does. They are going to have to work together to stop the UAE Emirates duo from taking control of this finish.

Tour de France LIVE – Vingegaard, Pogacar and Gall lead

16:03 , Lawrence Ostlere

8km to go: A fascinating game of cat and mouse at the front here as Vingegaard keeps looking across at Felix Gall and Tadej Pogacar. Who will launch an attack first? Pogacar doesn’t need to – he can wait to the top where a plateau will open the chance for a sprint finish. Vingegaard probably needs to attack sooner, you’d think.

Behind them, Simon and Adam Yates are closing in – they are about 15 seconds behind these leaders.

Tour de France LIVE – Yates brothers, Rodriguez and Bilbao fight for third

16:00 , Lawrence Ostlere

9km to go: Felix Gall leads Vingegaard and Pogacar up towards the finish like a sacrificial lamb. Behind them, another race is forming for the podium places. Simon Yates is trying to shake off his twin Adam Yates, who occupies third spot right now. Carlos Rodriguez is also there after his ealier crash, being helped by Tom Pidcock, and Pello Bilbao is with them too.

You can see the current standings via the ‘stopwatch’ tab above.

Tour de France LIVE – Vingegaard, Pogacar and Gall move clear

15:54 , Lawrence Ostlere

11km to go: The three best climbers at this year’s Tour de France surge away from Pinot, Pidcock and Barguil – the Briton tries to respond but he cannot for long. That is the last we will see of Thibaut Pinot attacking on a mountain stage at the Tour de France. Chapeau.

Tour de France LIVE – Six riders now lead the race

15:51 , Lawrence Ostlere

Vingegaard, Pogacar and now Felix Gall have caught up to the front three: Pinot, Pidcock and Barguil. So these six riders lead stage 20 and surely one of them is going to win the day in Le Markstein.

Tour de France LIVE – Pogacar attacks!

15:49 , Lawrence Ostlere

12km to go: Tadej Pogacar launches clear of the yellow-jersey group! Only Vingegaard responds, and the two of them are suddenly only 20 seconds from Pinot. Pinot is meanwhile being caught by Pidcock and Barguil – there’s three in the lead now! Action everywhere.

Tour de France LIVE – Pinot struggling to hold on

15:47 , Lawrence Ostlere

15km to go: Pinot’s gap has been cut slightly on the descent as they now climb towards the final peak of the day – the Col du Platzerwasel. So it’s Pinot by 12 seconds to a flying Tom Pidcock and Warren Barguil, and the yellow-jersey group are now less than one minute behind Pinot. Is the Frenchman cracking?

Tour de France LIVE – David Gaudu crashes

15:37 , Lawrence Ostlere

20km to go: David Gaudu is down! A crash out of nowhere on the descent, and the Frenchman chasing a top-10 finish is having to shake off what looks like a painful fall.

Tour de France LIVE – Pinot begins descent to final climb

15:31 , Lawrence Ostlere

25km to go: Pinot goes over the top of the penultimate climb and begins the 10km descent with a 30-second lead over Pidcock and the chasers – that’s a phenomenal solo attack. How much has he got left for the final climb? This will be a famous, emotional victory if he can pull it off on his final Tour de France. The yellow-jersey group is still 1min 30sec back.

Tour de France LIVE – Pinot leads Pidcock and Barguil

15:27 , Lawrence Ostlere

The French fans are going utterly nuts as Pinot cycles into waves of supporters which part for their hero. Behind him, Chris Harper has lost touch with Barguil and Pidcock.

Tour de France LIVE – Pinot leads Pidcock, Harper and Barguil

15:25 , Lawrence Ostlere

27km to go: Pinot is charging towards the top of the Petit Ballon all alone, with a 20-second lead over Pidcock, Harper and Warren Barguil, who has caught on to their wheel. When he gets to the top, you can bet Pidcock will launch down the descent and make up that time gap – it could be a straight duel on the final climb.

The yellow-jersey group are still 1min 20sec behind Pinot. Have Vingegaard, Pogacar and co left it too late to win the stage?

Tour de France LIVE – Pinot moves into solo lead

15:19 , Lawrence Ostlere

30km to go: Pinot goes alone! He’s surged clear and is trying to make a huge race-winning move. Britain’s Tom Pidcock (Ineos) and Australian Chris Harper (Jayco-Alula) are the only two able to give chase, now about 15 seconds back from Pinot.

Tour de France LIVE – Thibaut Pinot attacks!

15:10 , Lawrence Ostlere

33km to go: The breakaway hits the first of the final two climbs and Thibaut Pinot puts his foot down! The Vosges mountains is the great Frenchman’s home turf and he is taking charge. Tom Pidcock and a handful of the other breakers have gone with him.

They are 1min 30sec clear of the yellow-jersey group now and that gap is growing.

Tour de France LIVE – breakaway leads peloton into final two climbs

15:04 , Lawrence Ostlere

So, we are in to the final 40km of this stage 20 and the state of play is this: a group of 10 riers are working together well at the front in a breakaway that is steaming towards the first of the two category-one climbs that precede the finish, the Col du Petit Ballon (9.3km at 8.1%). It’s pretty steep and pretty long and some will crack here. The leaders are:

Pinot, Madouas, Ciccone, Skjelmose, Harper, Barguil, Van Gils, Uran, Vermaerke, Pidcock, Uran, Madouas and Vermaerke.

Behind them, only a minute back up the road, UAE Emirates are chasing with a stage win for Tadej Pogacar in mind. Jumbo-Visma are right there too, because Jonas Vingegaard wants the victory too.

Tour de France LIVE – Giulio Ciccone wins polka dot jersey!

14:55 , Lawrence Ostlere

45km to go: Giulio Ciccone goes over the top of the Col de la Schlucht before the rest and that is that – he has won the polka dot jersey. There are not enough King of the Mountains points left for Felix Gall or Jonas Vingegaard to catch him. He grabs his jersey and smiles, then turns and thanks his teammates who helped make it all possible today.

On this day in 2012

14:42 , Lawrence Ostlere

Bradley Wiggins became the first British rider to win the Tour de France on this day in 2012.

Wiggins finished three minutes and 21 seconds ahead of compatriot and Team Sky colleague Chris Froome to be crowned champion in the 99th edition of the race.

The then 32-year-old was left on the verge of history following his impressive time-trial win on the penultimate day.

And there were no slip-ups during the 20th and final stage, where Wiggins helped another Team Sky rider Mark Cavendish to victory on the Champs-Elysees.

“I don’t know what to say, I’ve had 24 hours for it to soak in,” he said following his win.

On this day in 2012: Bradley Wiggins celebrates historic Tour de France victory

Tour de France LIVE – Pidcock and Pinot among seven riders in breakaway

14:34 , Lawrence Ostlere

60km to go: There are seven riders out in front now, with the peloton about a minute behind them.

The leaders are: Pinot, Madouas, Ciccone, Skjelmose, Harper, Barguil, Van Gils, Uran, Vermaerke and Pidcock.

A day for Thibaut Pinot on his final Tour de France? Could Tom Pidcock deliver a stage win to go with his victory on Alpe d’Huez last year? They could do with a bigger gap from the chasing peloton first, which includes Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, both hungry for the stage win.

Tour de France LIVE – Giulio Ciccone closes in on King of the Mountains prize

14:17 , Lawrence Ostlere

75km to go : Giulio Ciccone is first of the breakaway over the top of the category two Col de la Croix des Moinats – that’s five more points and he is closing in fast on securing the polka dot jersey. He will need just a couple more KoM wins on the next ascents to seal the deal.

Tour de France LIVE – stage 20 profile

13:59 , Lawrence Ostlere

The breakaway is approaching the second categorised climb of the day. Among them is Giulio Ciccone, looking to clinch more King of the Mountains points.

Here’s a closer look at today’s profile:

Tour de France LIVE – breakaway forming ahead of peloton

13:53 , Lawrence Ostlere

85km to go: A breakaway of around 15 riders is trying to pull clear of the peloton, but UAE Emirates are working hard to haul them back and ensure Tadej Pogacar gets a look at winning this stage. The break are only around 20 seconds clear of the rest.

Tour de France LIVE: Sepp Kuss receives medical attention

13:46 , Lawrence Ostlere

91km to go: Jumbo-Visma’s Sepp Kuss is also struggling – he’s got a very similar injury to Rodriguez around his left eye and he’s receiving medical attention as he tries to catch up with the escaping peloton. Kuss’s teammate, the yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard, was just one bike away from being involved in that crash. That could have been hugely dramatic.

Tour de France LIVE: Carlos Rodriguez injured in crash

13:39 , Lawrence Ostlere

98km to go: A crash in the peloton! It looks like Carlos Rodriguez, the man currently fourth in the overall standings, has hit the ground and he looks hurt, with blood pouring from around his left eye and more on his left arm and leg. The young Spaniard is back on his bike, trying to catch up with the peloton, but this looks pretty bad.

Tour de France LIVE – stage 20

13:34 , Lawrence Ostlere

Here is how the top of the King of the Mountains standings look after that ascent:

Giulio Ciccone 93 points

Felix Gall 82

Jonas Vingegaard 81

13:32 , Lawrence Ostlere

At the top of the first climb of the day, the Ballon d’Alsace, Giulio Ciccone is teed up by his teammates before sprinting to pick up the maximum five King of the Mountains points on offer for this category two climb. Felix Gall wasn’t bluffing when he said he wasn’t interested in contested for polka dots, but Jonas Vingegaard sneaks to the front to try and grab some extra KoM points – but Ciccone’s teammate Mads Pedersen spotted what Vingegaard was up to and sprinted ahead to deny Vingegaard any points haul.

So now we know: the polka dots will be fought between Ciccone and Vingegaard today.

13:24 , Lawrence Ostlere

110km to go: Victor Campenaerts has been reeled in and the peloton is back together as one. Lidl-Trek are working hard on the front to help Giulio Ciccone win the points he needs to protect the polka dot jersey.

13:09 , Lawrence Ostlere

Interesting to hear from Felix Gall ahead of the stage, who tells ITV he is not prioritising the polka dot jersey today. He is only seven points behind Giulio Ciccone and there are a maximum of 37 King of the Mountains points up for grabs here, but Gall insists he won’t be fighting for it.

“If it happens it’s somehing, we’ll see how it plays out, but for sure it’s not the first priority today.”

Tour de France 2023 – stage 20 preview

12:57 , Lawrence Ostlere

Here’s a closer look at today’s stage...

What is left to play for? The team category has been sewn up by Jumbo-Visma, to go with Vingegaard’s yellow jersey, and the green jersey has been won by Jasper Philipsen, assuming he can get through this day unscathed and before the time cut – his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammates will ensure that he does. The best young rider’s white jersey will almost certainly be won by Pogacar for the fourth year in a row.

But the polka dot jersey is still very much on the line. Giulio Ciccone currently wears the famous red and white colours but his tally of 88 points at the top of the standings is not definitive. Austrian rider Felix Gall – winner of the Souvenir Henri Desgrange as the first over the top of the highest point of the race – has 82 points on the board. Then there is Vingegaard, with 81 points. There are 37 points available on stage 20, so this is where the King of the Mountains will be decided.

There is also a final podium spot up for grabs. Pogacar’s UAE Emirates teammate Adam Yates currently occupies third in the general classification, an impressive achievement given the work he has put in for his leader throughout the Tour. But Yates is only a minute or so up on Ineos’s Carlos Rodriguez and his twin brother Simon Yates, while Bahrain Victorious’s Pello Bilbao is around two minutes back from the podium. We can expect some attempts to dislodge Adam Yates, who will now doubt have his teammates’ support in defence of his place, which comes with plenty of prize money as well as prestige.

Tour de France stage 20 preview: A fight to be King of the Mountains

12:49 , Lawrence Ostlere

Stage 20 has just begun and in news that will shock no one who has followed this Tour de France, Belgian chaos-magnet Victor Campenaerts has gone on the attack immediately. He has won both of the past two combativity awards for his aggression over the last two stages and he’s on one again.

Tour de France 2023: Latest updates from stage 20

12:45 , Lawrence Ostlere

Follow all the action from the final stage before Paris.

Spectator causes major Tour de France crash on stage 15

The Tour de France has suffered its second major crash in as many days, this time caused by a rider coming into contact with a spectator.

Aerial footage from the host broadcaster showed American rider Sepp Kuss — riding for Jumbo-Visma — hitting the arm of a spectator with roughly 129km left on stage 15 of the race.

After hitting the spectator, Kuss then hit his teammate Nathan Van Hooydonck, who bore the brunt of the crash as he crumpled to the road resulting in a pile-up behind him.

Van Hooydonck was able to get back onto his bike and continue, with blood visible on his body.

Several riders were caught up in the crash, including Colombian Egan Bernal who won the race in 2019.

There were no abandonments as a result of the crash, despite several riders showing signs of injury.

In a statement on social media, Jumbo-Visma urged spectators to be mindful when the riders pass by. 

"Please be always aware when watching cycling at the side of the road," they said. 

While the crash was a major moment for the Jumbo-Visma team, their main rider and race leader Jonas Vingegaard was able to narrowly avoid the carnage.

Vingegaard's main rival, two-time champion Tadej Pogačar also avoided the crash as well as Australian Jai Hindley, who entered the stage fourth in the general classification.

There was a major crash early on stage 14 , which led to a stoppage of approximately 20 minutes as several riders were assessed by medical staff.

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Tour de France Fan Causes Massive Crash by Taking a Sidelines Selfie

About 20 riders were involved in Sunday's incident at Stage 15 of the cycling event

Erin Clack is a Staff Editor for PEOPLE. She has been writing about fashion, parenting and pop culture for more than 15 years.

NBC Sports/YouTube

A sideline selfie had catastrophic consequences at the Tour de France on Sunday.

A spectator trying to take a photo at Stage 15 of the world-famous cycling event inadvertently knocked the handlebars of rider Sepp Kuss of Team Jumbo-Visma, setting off a large crash.

A video , shared on YouTube by NBC Sports, captured a fan in a white hat taking a selfie with their arm extended as Kuss, 28, passed. The American's bike was bumped, resulting in the crash that brought down about 20 other cyclists including teammate Nathan van Hooydonck of Belgium, according to the BBC .

"There was a narrowing in the town and a spectator in the road, and I guess he just clipped my handlebars," Kuss told the outlet. "Luckily I'm OK and hopefully the other guys in the crash are all right. It's not ideal."

Kuss attributed the unfortunate incident and his inability to react quickly enough to avoid crashing to fatigue. "It's been such a hard race and everybody is a bit tired. You lose a bit of alertness and there's always things out of your control as well," he explained.

All the riders who crashed successfully completed the 179-kilometer stage from Les Gets les Portes du Soleil to Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc, which was won by Dutchman Wout Poels.

Following the crash, the official Tour Twitter account posted a slow-motion video of a competitor ducking under a spectator's arm, writing, "Please pay attention to the riders."

Several teams tweeted similar requests to fans. "Please be always aware when watching cycling at the side of the road," Team Jumbo-Visma posted .

"If you are spectating at this amazing event, please give the riders room to race," INEOS Grenadiers said .

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Sunday's crash was the biggest since an incident at the 2021 Tour , when a young woman holding a sign with a message in German for her grandparents caused cyclist Tony Martin to lose control of his bike, leading to a massive pileup. Two riders were pulled from the event and eight others were treated for various injuries. It took approximately 25 kilometers (more than 15 miles) for the peloton to fully regroup.

The woman was arrested the next day after she presented herself to a police station in Landerneau, an area in Brittany, France, where the tour held its first four stages.

The woman was ordered to pay a symbolic fine of one euro, per the BBC.

"We just want people to take care when they come to the Tour and remember they are there to see the champions — and not to get on television," Tour director Christian Prudhomme said.

Tour competitors have become increasingly concerned about spectators seeking to be close to the road action. In June, the sport's world governing body, UCI, rolled out its new SafeR initiative, a broad range of safety measures including management of crowds.

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Netflix’s ‘Tour de France Unchained’ Season Two Delivers Heart-Pounding Drama

As the Tour approaches, the latest season is packed with unfortunate crashes, rivalries, and touching tributes, brilliantly narrated by Orla Chennaoui.

We liked that this season didn’t necessarily go chronologically but instead focused on one or two key players per episode. We also loved Orla Chennaoui —she does an excellent job narrating and explaining. And for those saying this was a Ben O’Connor documentary, we say he was the necessary glue that held several threads together.

Episode One: “No Risk, No Reward”

We’re reminded right away of Tadej Pogačar ’s crash at the 2023 Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where he fractured his wrist. We’re reminded of the drama between Julian Alaphilippe and Soudal Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere. We’re reminded of how much Thibaut Pinot wanted his final season as a pro to go well.

But more than anything, in this opening episode, we’re reminded of Gino Mäder . The 26-year-old Swiss Bahrain Victorious rider died one day after suffering a terrible crash during a mountain descent on Stage 5 of the Tour de Suisse . Mäder’s death wasn’t crushing because no one realized how dangerous WorldTour cycling was. Quite the opposite. Mäder’s death solidified for every rider that their job could cost them their life.

In this opening episode, we see the safety briefing two weeks before the Tour de France. The director says, “We’ve decided that for the next three weeks, jersey number 61 will be assigned to Gino Mäder, whose wish it was to race here.”

What follows is the reaction from many of the top riders, including Ben O’Connor, who says, “I think it awakened a bit of fragility in everyone.”

This episode also gives us highlights from the first two stages of the Tour. And, of course, a moment to break the solemn mood with the Adam Yates vs Simon Yates matchup in the opening stage. What could possibly be better than battling your brother for a win?

Episode Two: “The Third Man”

Ah, more Ben O’Connor and those brown Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale bibs. We follow the Australian’s training from five months out to the Critérium du Dauphiné. For once, he had a smooth lead-up to the Tour and earned some confidence.

We also hear from fellow Australian Jai Hindley (Bora–hansgrohe), who entered his first Tour de France after winning the Giro.

The episode follows Stage 5, where O’Connor doesn’t have the legs, but Hindley attacks. From there, Vingegaard was hunting from behind. Hindley had to dig as deep as he could possibly go. And for that, he got to wear the yellow jersey with the stage win.

Then we get Stage 6 and the Col du Tourmalet. It’s the Vingegaard and Pogačar show, and Pogačar smashes for the summit win, but Vingegaard takes over the GC.

Episode Three: “No Mercy”

The sprinter’s episode. Our first glimpse of Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin–Deceuninck), who is determined to shed his nickname from last year, “Jasper Disaster.” Philipsen has clearly matured and is on a mission to win more than a few times. But this stage also shows Philipsen’s questionable tactics, when he nearly pushes Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) into the wall in the stage 3 sprint.

This episode also gives us our first Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) appearance. Cav is the seasoned veteran who Philipsen sees as his main rival and who is famously at the Tour to try to secure his 35th stage victory. Cav says, “This is my last Tour de France. I’m 38. I’m old for a sprinter. There’s no way I can be better than I am.”

We then get the foreshadowing moment when Cav is sitting with his wife, Peta Todd, and their baby daughter, and he says, “Considering I’ve done 14 Tour de Frances, I haven’t actually crashed that much.” To which Todd says, “Why would you say that out loud a week before the Tour? Take that back!”

That rings back, of course, in Cav’s Tour-ending stage 8 crash.

We also get a glimpse of Fabio Jakobsen (then Soudal-QuickStep), and once again have to relive his horrific crash during the 2020 Tour of Poland, when he ran into a barrier, resulting in him in a coma with a fractured skull.

Episode Four: “For Gino”

It’s impossible to have dry eyes for this episode. Pello Bilbao says that after Mäder’s death, the Bahrain Victorious team decided that now they had a reason to really do something at the Tour.

The Puy-de-Dome climb in stage 9 came just three weeks after losing Mäder. Matej Mohorič, though not traditionally a climber, wanted to give it his all for his teammate, who had been an excellent climber. And even though he didn’t take the win, he said he never would have been able to climb that well under normal circumstances.

Then we get the beautiful stage win for Pello Bilbao, and Mohorič explains how close Bilbao and Mäder had been.

Episode Five: “The Enemy Within”

An up-close look inside INEOS-Grenadiers and Tom Pidcock ’s struggles with team strategy and dynamics. Teammate Carlos Rodríguez said, “You can use a lot of adjectives to describe Tom.” Managing egos is clearly part of the job.

We also see the moment when Pogačar attacked Vingegaard on Stage 14 but was hindered by the motorbikes. And then the almost hilarious moment when Rodríguez passed both of them to take the stage while they worked out their drama, moving him into third place in the GC.

Pogačar and Vingegaard are generally on a different level than everyone else, but this stage proved that they’re not unbeatable.

Episode Six: “Domination”

The race of truth. The individual time trial. Not every Tour has a TT that’s so memorable. But last year’s only TT, which came in the third week after epic amounts of climbing, was one for the ages. The final portion had a gradient that was so high some discussed switching bikes. Pogačar did recon on the course with both bikes and deemed the mid-stage bike change worth it.

Pogačar put in the fastest time of the day before Vingegaard, who had deemed the bike change not worth it. Vingegaard’s TT was so blisteringly fast that people immediately brought doping into the conversation—or a motor. Something. It was literally unbelievable. A minute and 38 seconds ahead of Pogačar, papers ran the same headlines they had used for Lance Armstrong , saying, “Out of this world,” which only perpetuated rumors.

This episode also gives us the famous Col de la Loze climb, where Pogačar said, “I’m gone. I’m dead.” The same infamous climb that stalled the motorbikes and blocked Vingegaard and others from getting past.

And finally, Ben O’Connor is so, so, so happy for teammate Felix Gall. The best.

Episode Seven: “Kamikaze Mission”

Soudal-QuickStep has to face the music. Fabio Jakobsen packs his bags after not recovering from his stage 4 crash, and all hope is put on Julian Alaphilippe’s shoulders. With Alaphilippe always comes drama with team director Patrick Lefevere .

But it was Kasper Asgreen who gave the team some hope in Stage 18 when he managed to stave off the peloton with an incredible sprint for the stage win.

Then, Stage 19, the glorious and semi-unexpected photo-finish win for Matej Mohorič , followed by possibly the best post-race interview of all time. Mohorič talked about the cruel nature of being in the pro peloton and how every rider deserves a stage win. When we think about the 2023 Tour, it’s impossible not to think about this interview.

Episode Eight: “The Last Dance”

The Tour is coming to a close. Teams start slinging mud and criticizing their opponents' tactics. But the most important thing is how riders perform on the bike.

Thibaut Pinot approaches an adoring crowd for his last-ever mountain stage, and it’s always cool to see a hero’s welcome. Both he and Pogačar wanted to take the final mountain stage from Vingegaard just for the statement it would make. Pino didn’t have it, but Pogačar did.

And at last, Champs-Élysées. As with all things in this Tour, it was not short of drama. Philipsen puts on a show, but it’s Jordi Meeus (Bora–hansgrohe) who takes the final line.

No Paris finish this year due to the Olympic Games , so we’ll have to see how the unofficial sprinter’s championship goes down in Nice.

We end with Cavendish saying, “Of course, if you wrote it, you wouldn’t want it to end like that. Ultimately, I don’t want to share the record. So I spent a long time thinking, ‘Fuck, can I do another year?’ And, yeah, let’s just do it. Fuck it.”

Micah Ling is a freelance writer who lives in the mountains of Colorado. She splits her free time between mountain biking and trail running.

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Nairo Quintana abandons Tour de Suisse after breaking hand in stage 2 crash

Nairo Quintana has abandoned the Tour de Suisse after sustaining a fracture to a bone in his right hand in a crash in the finale of stage 2 to Regensdorf .

Although Quintana was able to remount and complete the stage, 2:23 down on winner Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), he was a non-starter on stage 3 following assessment of his injuries on Monday night.

“After his crash yesterday during the second stage of the Tour de Suisse, Nairo underwent radiological tests last night due to the pain he was suffering,” read a statement from Movistar.

“Quintana suffered a non-displaced fracture of the fourth metacarpal of the right hand. The Colombian’s hand will be treated with immobilisation and he will not start today's stage 3.”

A number of riders crashed in the finale of stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse, including Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), who suffered a broken hip and collarbone .

It is not yet clear how long Quintana will spend on the sidelines, but the Colombian was not due to ride this year’s Tour de France having recently completed the Giro d’Italia in 19th place overall. Since the start of the season, Movistar have indicated that Quintana will also ride the Vuelta a España in the service of Enric Mas.

Quintana re-joined Movistar this season after spending the 2023 season on the sidelines having failed to find a team in the wake of his positive tests for Tramadol on the 2022 Tour de France.

The 34-year-old has endured a difficult comeback season after contracting COVID-19 during the Tour Colombia in February. That illness delayed the start of his European season and he suffered a further setback when he ruptured an arm ligament in a crash at the Volta a Catalunya.

Those issues saw Quintana downgrade his Giro ambitions from the general classification to chasing stage wins. He went closest at Livigno on stage 15, placing second after being caught and passed by maglia rosa Tadej Pogačar on the final approach to the finish.

Quintana lined out at the Tour de Suisse in support of Mas, who is using the Swiss race to build towards the Tour. It remains to be seen, however, if Mas will be flanked in July by Oier Lazkano, who showed hitherto unheralded climbing abilities at the Critérium du Dauphiné. The Spanish champion is out of contract at the end of this season and has been linked with a move to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.

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Tour De France 2024: Stage 20

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Tour de France 2024: stage 20

(15.7 km at 7.1%)

Col de la Couillole

(7.5 km at 7.1%)

Col de la Colmiane

Saint-Martin-

(20.7 km at 5.7%)

Col de Turini

(10 km at 6.6%)

Col de Braus

ALPES-MARITIMES

TOUR DE FRANCE

Saturday, July 20

Pass or climb category

Intermediate sprint

Source: ASO

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Adam Yates Lays Tour de France Warning with Suisse Climbing Smash

Tadej pogačar’s tour de france superdomestiques yates, almeida go 1-2 on cat.1 summit finish of tour de suisse, bernal and u.s. sensation riccitello impress..

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Adam Yates blew the doors off the Swiss Alps for the second day in a row Thursday with a solo victory on the Carì summit finish of the Tour de Suisse .

The UAE Emirates mega-climber kicked away from a small group in the final clicks of the grinding summit of stage 5 of the race to extend his GC lead over teammate João Almeida to 35 seconds.

Almeida crossed the line second to make it a UAE Emirates 1-2 on both the classification and the stage.

The result Thursday in this key pre-Tour de France tune-up lays a serious warning for the rivals of Tadej Pogačar and his UAE Emirates wreckin’ crew.

Yates, who blazed to second on the stage up to the Gotthard summit Wednesday, is poised to be Pogačar’s key mountain man in the Slovenian’s Tour de France battle royale with Primož Roglič, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel.

Almeida and Spanish sensation Juan Ayuso are also slated to be at the Tour for Pogačar as part of a true UAE Emirates “super team” of elite climbers.

“It was a really strong performance from the whole team today,” Yates said at the finish line. “Right at the end there Joao [Almeida] was putting down a crazy pace, I only had to follow for four or five Ks.

“When I attacked he was still there, so he’s obviously in super great shape,” Yates said. “The team is super-motivated for the rest of the week.”

Adam Yates set today a NEW CLIMBING RECORD on Gotthard Pass: 20 min 45 sec, at almost 25 km/h average speed. And this time, they went on the old cobbled road in the last 3 km. They had a strong tailwind but yes, Adam is ready for another TDF podium. #TDS2024 pic.twitter.com/oBzs7hozed — Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) June 12, 2024

Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) and Matthew Riccitello (Israel Premier Tech) were “best of the rest” in third and fourth respectively Thursday with two wildly impressive performances.

The race up the Carì marks the latest in a series of rides that suggest former Tour de France champion Bernal is inching back to top form after his horror crash in winter 2022.

The Colombian is currently racing for a spot on a stacked Ineos Grenadiers Tour roster likely to be led by Carlos Rodriguez and Tom Pidcock.

A fourth-place finish for Ricitello is one for the photo album.

The 22-year-old Arizonan hit his best WorldTour finish Thursday to move to fifth overall, less than one minute back on a pack of established grand tour racers. He will wear the white jersey of “best young rider” on stage 6 on Friday.

Looking good in ⚪️, @MattRiccitello ! #TourdeSuisse #YallaIPT pic.twitter.com/zcXmpmOo3j — Israel – Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech) June 13, 2024

Yates’ stage-win Thursday was a poignant one for the 31-year-old.

Victory on the 12km Suisse summit is his first since he was knocked back and missed racing through spring with a heavy concussion sustained at the February UAE Tour.

Two more summit finishes Friday and Saturday and a mountain time trial Sunay play direct in his and Almeida’s favor, and could leave Yates poised to add yet another GC win to his stacked stage-race palmarès.

“It’s a good position to be in to have two guys in such great shape,” Yates said. “We’re both co-leaders, we have been since the start and so far it’s working out well.”

While it was all good for UAE Emirates on Thursday, there was less good news for EF Education EasyPost.

The team’s two toppers and Tour de France dead-certs Richard Carapaz and Alberto Bettiol were both DNS after they crashed Wednesday in stage 4.

Bettiol suffered road rash and bruising, while Carapaz sustained a face injury which required sutures. Carapaz confirmed on his personal website that his plans to lead the team at the Tour de France should be unaffected by his wounds.

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Richard Carapaz focused on Tour de France after Tour of Switzerland withdrawal

Published 13/06/2024 at 21:58 GMT

Richard Carapaz will look to recover fitness in the next couple of weeks in time for the Tour de France after withdrawing from the Tour of Switzerland having suffered facial injuries in a crash on Stage 4. After not getting to the start line on Stage 5, the Ecuadorian said his goal was to lead his EF Education-EasyPost at the Tour de France which starts in Andorra on June 29.

‘Absolute genius at work!’ – ‘Champion in waiting’ Yates strengthens lead with classy Stage 5 win

'Hard to see past' Pogacar at Tour de France, Roglic and Evenepoel 'where they need to be' - Blythe

Yesterday at 16:26

‘Everyone is where they need to be’ – Blythe brushes off Evenepoel worries, tips Pogacar to win Tour

• Hard to see past Pogacar at Tour de France - Blythe
• Bernal casts doubt on participation at Tour de France

'Perfect' - Roglic celebrates 'beautiful' title victory at Criterium du Dauphine

09/06/2024 at 14:32

Roglic extends lead at top of Dauphine with Stage 7 win, Evenepoel drops to fifth

08/06/2024 at 19:25

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02/07/2023 at 12:39

Tour de Suisse stage 5 Live - more GC action due on another summit finish

Critérium du dauphiné stage 5 suspended after mass crash hits peloton.

Numerous riders involved when peloton falls on waterlogged downhill as no results are recorded for the stage

Please note - race gallery features images of injury from the mass rash on stage 5

Stage 5 of the Critérium du Dauphiné was neutralised after two mass crashes with 21km remaining that saw a vast number of riders fall, including yellow jersey Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step), Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates).

The commissaires brought the race to a halt after the peloton was hit by two almost simultaneous crashes on a stretch of wet downhill road on the run-in to the finish in Saint-Priest.

Following discussions between the riders, the commissaires and the race organisation, it was later decided to cancel the remainder of the stage.

In an announcement on race radio, the organisation explained that they were unable to ensure medical support for the peloton in the closing kilometres given that the ambulances following the race were all required to bring riders to hospital.

Criterium du Dauphine news Tour de France favourites Tour de France route

It was decreed that the peloton would ride the final kilometres into Saint-Priest together, but there would be no stage winner and no time awarded for the general classification.

“In accordance with the jury of commissaires of the UCI it's been decided that due to the fact there are no ambulances can take care of the security of the riders because they are all busy going to different hospitals, the race will be neutralised,” was the Englishlanguage statement on race radio.

“The race will be neutralised and the peloton will ride all the way to the finish line under the escort of the Garde Republicaine. The times will not be taken into account, there will not be a winner for today's stage.”

Over 50 riders appear to have come down in the two crashes. Evenepoel was among the fallers, and the Belgian spent some time sitting on the roadside before rising gingerly to his feet.

Roglič was quickly back up again after the crash, as was his Bora-Hansgrohe teammate Jai Hindley . Other fallers included Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek), Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) and Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep).

The Visma-Lease a Bike pairing of Dylan van Baarle and Steven Kruijswijk were both forced to abandon the race due to the injuries they sustained in the crash, Van Baarle appeared to have sustained a shoulder injury.

Evenepoel and Chris Froome were later involved in discussions with their fellow riders and with the commissaires over whether the stage would continue at all.

Speaking to the host broadcaster, Romain Combaud (dsm-firmenich PostNL) signalled his doubts about the stage’s resumption, and shortly afterwards, ASO confirmed that the day’s racing had been definitively neutralised.

At the finish, Combaud applauded the decision to suspend the stage in the aftermath of the crash.

"It was a very good decision," Combaud said. "I think we had no more ambulances left so that was the reason and I think it was the right decision. The organiser reacted immediately to neutralise the race, and we had the information immediately in our earpiece. It was a wise decision and it was pleasing for us riders."

Escapees Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Tobias Bayer (Alpecin-Deceuninck) had been leading the peloton by 20 seconds at the time of the two mass crashes behind them, which took place on roads that had been made slick by heavy rain showers.

After a pause of half an hour or so, the peloton resumed slowly on its way towards Saint-Priest, albeit without Kruijswijk and Van Baarle.

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Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation , published by Gill Books.

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Euro 2024 predictions, picking every game: Germany beat France in final, England reach semis, Italy crash out

With the euros upon, let's pick every game from the group stage to the final to find our winner.

Euro 2024 is nearly upon us. Friday brings us the first game of the tournament as hosts Germany face Scotland in Munich. Prior to that my wife's office sweepstakes required me to offer what might be termed some generous guidance as to what results to expect in the tournament -- it seemed a shame to let such content go to waste. So here we go, every game of the Euros, plotted out for your entertainment. 

Considering I tried this before the 2022 World Cup and had Brazil winning the lot, the USA crashing out at the group stages and Germany getting through theirs, I wouldn't rush to place big money bets on anything I'm saying here. Then again I did say Morocco would top their group and Argentina would beat France. Stopped clocks and all that. Let's get into it:

Group stages

Matchday 1 picks Germany 3, Scotland 0 Hungary 1, Switzerland 2

Matchday 2 picks Germany 2, Hungary 0 Scotland 2, Switzerland 2

Matchday 3 picks Switzerland 1, Germany 3 Scotland 1, Hungary 2

There are two types of big name hosts at major tournaments, the sort that get crushed by the weight of expectations or those who are raised up by a home crowd that falls head over heels for them. A bright start against Scotland in Munich ensures that Germany are the latter while Scotland never recover from a tough start to the tournament. They give Switzerland a few headaches but Murat Yakin's men know what it takes to reach the knockout rounds -- they ultimately discover they did just that by overcoming Hungary early on day two.

Matchday 1 picks Spain 1, Croatia 0 Italy 1, Albania 1

Matchday 2 picks Croatia 1, Albania 0 Spain 2, Italy 0

Matchday 3 picks Croatia 1, Italy 1 Albania 0, Spain 2

The Group of Death claims its prize as the defending champions fail to escape, paying the price for a misfiring attack that couldn't overcome an Albania side who reached the tournament off the back of their defensive qualities. Spain begin the tournament in customary fashion, not necessarily turning their possession into the goals you might expect, but both they and Croatia showcase an innate ability to do just enough. 

Matchday 1 picks Slovenia 0, Denmark 1 Serbia 1, England 3

Matchday 2 picks Slovenia 0, Serbia 1 Denmark 1, England 1

Matchday 3 picks England 4, Slovenia 0 Denmark 3, Serbia 2

A hard fought draw against Denmark is enough to send tremors across England, but the Three Lions respond with an impressive win over Slovenia that ensures they pick up top spot in what is one of the more stratified groups. For all their attacking firepower Serbia are perhaps guilty of being a little too gung-ho, even 

Matchday 1 picks Poland 1, Netherlands 2 Austria 1, France 3

Matchday 2 picks Poland 1, Austria 2 Netherlands 0, France 2

Matchday 3 picks Netherlands 3, Austria 1 France 3, Poland 0

How different might this group have been were it not for injuries to Robert Lewandowski and the Dutch midfield pair of Frenkie De Jong and Teun Koopmeiners? Without their talismanic forward for the opener, Poland never really got going in this competition while the Netherlands' hopes of blowing France off cause were significantly hampered, resulting in Les Bleus breezing to top spot. Their case to be champions in waiting seems hard to dispute.

Matchday 1 picks Romania 0, Ukraine 0 Belgium 2, Slovakia 0

Matchday 2 picks Slovakia 1, Ukraine 2 Belgium 1, Romania 0

Matchday 3 picks Slovakia 0, Romania 1 Ukraine 1, Belgium 1

The last vestiges of Belgium's Golden Generation get the job done in a supremely favorable Group E but they are hardly setting the tournament alight early on and labor to a draw against Ukraine that means Serhiy Rebrov's side pick up an automatic qualification spot. Romania, meanwhile, prove to be obdurate if uninspired, holding out for more than enough points to book their spot in the knockout rounds thanks to a late winner against Slovakia.

Matchday 1 picks Turkey 0, Georgia 1 Portugal 3, Czech Republic 0

Matchday 2 picks Georgia 1, Czech Republic 2 Turkey 0, Portugal 1

Matchday 3 picks Czech Republic 0, Turkey 2 Georgia 1, Portugal 2

With Portugal cruising to top spot, Group F delivers plenty of drama elsewhere. Tournament debutants Georgia pull off one of the upsets of the group stages as Khvicha Kvarastkhelia inspires them to victory over Turkey, who rally in dramatic fashion in their final game to snatch second place for themselves.

Third placed rankings

The top four advance to the round of 16

Round of 16

Spain 1, Romania 0 Germany 2, Denmark 0 Portugal 3, Hungary 1 Netherlands 2, Ukraine 1 (a.e.t.) Belgium 2, Serbia 3 France 2, Turkey 0 England 2, Georgia 0 Switzerland 1, Croatia 1 (Switzerland win on penalties)

Though a 24 team European Championships does open the door to the big leagues for teams who might never otherwise have got close, it does have some fairly sizeable drawbacks. Not only does it take nearly two weeks to eliminate eight teams, but when the competition arrives at its last 16 there are precious few contests that promise to be tightly fought.

Serbia achieve the biggest surprise of the round, edging a high scoring thriller with Belgium, their first win of a knockout game since they competed as part of Yugoslavia. The only other result that perhaps goes against the grain is Switzerland dragging Croatia to penalties, where for once Luka Modric and company come up short in a penalty shootout, Gregor Kobel the hero for the Nati.

Quarterfinals

Spain 1, Germany 3 Portugal 2, Netherlands 0 Serbia 0, France 1 England 1, Switzerland 0 (a.e.t.)

Now Europe moves into the big games, high quality ones at that. Germany fly out of the blocks to score the first and second goals Spain have conceded in the tournament, holding off a fightback to book a semifinal spot against another opponent with a 100% record. Portugal's star men have stayed fit, the Netherlands' haven't. On the other side of the bracket, France emerge victorious after a profligate but commanding win over Serbia. England are not quite so dominant but the quality of their bench shines through against a Swiss opponent drained from their battles with Croatia earlier in the competition. Everything is set for a collision course between the four pre-tournament favorites.

Germany 1, Portugal 0 France 3, England 2

Much of Germany's quality on the way to the semifinal has been apparent in their possession and attacking display but this time the hosts do just enough to repel the pressure that comes from Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Cristiano Ronaldo. The other semifinal, meanwhile, is a stone cold classic. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham excel for England but even the defensive nous of Kyle Walker is not enough to quell Kylian Mbappe, yet again a man for the biggest stage as the now Real Madrid forward fires Les Bleus to a fourth final in their last five major tournaments.

Germany 1, France 1 (Germany win on penalties)

As is usually the case at major tournaments, the best game is not the last one, this meeting between the Germans and French replete with more tension than quality. The hosts get out in front in the first half but are pegged back late on, setting the stage for half an hour where neither of these exhausted sides are quite prepared to risk defeat in pursuit of victory. Ultimately Euro 2024 is settled from 12 yards out, Toni Kroos' final action in professional football the winning penalty that brings him the only major honor he was missing.

It's a nice story. Will it actually work out like that? Almost certainly not, that's the joy of the Euros. It rarely goes anything like the way you expect. 

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