Tour de France 2025: Tadej Pogacar crashes – fuss about speedster
Jonas Abrahamsen celebrated the greatest success of his career, and shortly afterwards, Tadej Pogacar fought his way to the finish line after a moment of shock. The 29-year-old Norwegian Abrahamsen won the eleventh stage of the Tour de France after a breathless, high-speed ride through southern France in a sprint from a leading group. Pogacar crashed in the final stages but escaped with a black eye.
For Abrahmsen, it was his first stage win at the Tour de France. The rider from Team Uno-X Mobility relegated Swiss rider Mauro Schmid to second place after the 156.8 km circuit, which started and finished in Toulouse. Top star Mathieu van der Poel finished third.
During the sprint to the finish, a streaker with a political message on his T-shirt caused a dangerous situation. As Abrahamsen and Schmid sprinted at top speed for the win in the final meters, a man suddenly stormed into the road and ran after them. The troublemaker, who was wearing a shirt with the slogan "Israel out of the Tour," ended painfully. A security guard rushed towards the streaker and rammed him into the barrier. A short time later, the man was no longer visible. The prefecture confirmed the arrest.
Extinction Rebellion Toulouse claimed to have carried out a "shock action for Palestine." In a statement, it called for the exclusion of the Israel-Premier Tech team, founded by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams, for which German professional cyclist Pascal Ackermann (Kandel) is also riding in the Tour.
Pogacar caused another scare in the final stages of the stage: five kilometers from the finish, the world champion suffered a devastating fall. With only one hand on the handlebars, Pogacar hung onto the bike of his teammate, Tobias Johannessen, who had cut him off from the side. "We were at the limit and a rider decided to pull from left to right. He didn't see me and cut me off completely," Pogacar criticized. "Fortunately, he didn't suffer any serious injuries. No concussion or broken bones," said Adrian Rotunno, team doctor for UAE Emirates-XRG: "He has some general bruises and abrasions on his left forearm and hip, but otherwise he's fine." From a medical perspective, Pogacar can continue the race.
Pogacar picked himself up after the crash and quickly resumed the pursuit. The 26-year-old then benefited from the sportsmanship of his opponents. Jonas Vingegaard and the other top riders slowed down, which is why Pogacar ultimately lost no time in the stage victory of Norwegian Abrahamsen. "Thanks to the peloton for waiting. Huge respect to everyone," said the Slovenian.
"To be honest, I didn't even notice it, but we definitely slowed down a bit," explained Germany's hopeful Florian Lipowitz, who once again delivered a strong performance and crossed the finish line with the favorites: "But I think that's part of cycling, too, not doing that. Absolutely."
Irishman Ben Healy successfully defended his yellow jersey as overall leader, but on Thursday, this task is likely to become significantly more difficult, if not impossible, for the surprise man of the first week. He has a 29-second lead over Pogacar, with Vingegaard 1:46 minutes behind.
On the vicious climb up the Côte de Pech David, with an average gradient of over 12 percent, just ten kilometers from the finish, Schmid and Abrahamsen worked well together, keeping the prominent pursuers, including Wout van Aert and van der Poel, at bay. Van der Poel's powerful attack came too late, and he ultimately lost a few seconds to the winner.
Anyone expecting a leisurely stage after the first rest day was disappointed. From the very beginning, the race unfolded in the summer heat of over 30 degrees Celsius. A whole bunch of teams seemed to have a vested interest in winning the stage in Toulouse, making an orderly race impossible despite the largely flat terrain.
Even Vingegaard occasionally showed signs of being on the offensive, causing additional nervousness in the field. Lipowitz was caught off guard and had to initially begin the – ultimately successful – pursuit with a food bag around his neck.
For most of the riders, Schonen was never an option, even though the hottest part of the Tour doesn't begin until Thursday – and the main protagonists are especially eager for the first showdown in the high mountains. He's happy to have survived everything so far, Pogacar said before the first of three Pyrenees stages, including the tough mountain finish in Hautacam: "Now our terrain is coming, and my main rivals are behind me; they have to attack."
Will Vingegaard attempt this on the 180.6 km with a total of four categorized climbs and the start in Auch? It's conceivable, as he's known for his long climbs, having triumphed on the "Mountain of the Danes" in 2022.
RND/SID/dpa
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