"He ended up comforting us more than we comforted him" - Campenaerts on Vingegaard's reaction to crash and McDonald's order after crash
Cycling
Jonas Vingegaard crashed out of the 2026 Tour de France on Sunday in a gutting moment for the Dane and Visma | Lease a Bike. Breaking his collarbone as he crashed into the sidewalk before the day's final climb, Vingegaard's Tour dream was instantly ended.
In a shocking moment for fans, the Visma team went from controlling the stage and ready to light up the final climb to having no leader and reason to continue their carefully crafted plan. The team picked up the pieces on the rest day and are now formulating a plan to pick up a stage win in the race's final days.
But first, Vingegaard's teammates were disappointed to lose their leader and morale suffered a hammer blow in the hours after the crash. However, according to Victor Campenaerts, Vingegaard himself helped raise up his teammates that evening at the hotel.
He came to the hotel," Campenaerts told Sporza after stage 16.
"He'd probably already had his moment, and the emotional blow will probably only really hit him once he's back home, but he ended up comforting us more than we comforted him."
Campenaerts on driving force behind Tour de France
With a team built around the Dane, Campenaerts noted that the crash came at a vital moment that had saw the team take initiative in their quest to make up ground on yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar, with the Belgian opening up on his motivation - to win the Tour as part of a team.
"That is my driving force, to bring out the best in myself, to try and win the Tour de France," the Belgian said.
"The stages we had targeted were still to come. It was the first time we had taken control of the race."
That evening, an injured Jonas Vingegaard saw an opportunity; to escape the strict diet riders abide by during the Tour. He scouted out some fast food in the form of McDonald's and lifted the spirits of his teammates.
Jonas Vingegaard being attended to on the ground after his fall at the Tour de France
Vingegaard's McDonald's visit as he encourages teammates
He revealed: "We actually had a nice dinner; it was very pleasant. Usually, we have burgers and fries, but they’re the 'food coach' versions, different from the local chip shop, though still very tasty."
"But there was a McDonald's in a nearby village, and Jonas went out to get 'real' burgers and fries. He sat at our table. It was a really nice evening. I think everyone went back to their rooms feeling good."
Read also
The team already set out their new ambitions to win a stage. After a top ten with Bruno Armirail in the Tuesday time trial. There's two hilly and three mountain stages left on the menu for Campenaerts and co.
"That’s a difficult switch. Trying to win stages hasn't been on my agenda for quite some time. Tomorrow, we’ll try to come up with a solid plan as a team."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- A busy boy!Lozza03-11-2026
- I hope 2027 is his year.mij03-11-2026
- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
- There was once a time when Lance was supremely popular and he used his artificial "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" persona to lead his mob in going after Greg. There was no one Lance did not abuse in protecting his phony hero image. Lance promoted himself as a divine megastar and he let down millions of cancer victims and gullible devotees who clung far too long to the charade. Lance is the epitome of a corrupt person and because of his power, many around him, including business enterprises, succumbed to the evil. All who got in Armstrong's way were mercilessly attacked by him and his minions. This remarkably continues today with a new generation. LeMond was a number one enemy and paid a huge price. Who do you think slandered who?Yepperoni03-11-2026
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
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