"I have to admit I was quite sad when I crossed the finish line" - Anthon Charmig leaves Tour de France as he finishes stage 14 over the time limit
Cycling
When most viewers watch a Tour de France mountain stage, it's easy to get caught up in the story of the front of the race. However, it's often at the back of the race that features some of the most gruelling stories of the day. Saturday was no different as Anthon Charmig tells his story.
The 'gruppetto' forms throughout every mountain stage, comprising predominantly of sprinters, their teammates and riders suffering though difficult terrain, it gradually collects dropped riders throughout a stage and form its own peloton of sorts to battle the time cut with the benefit of numbers.
On Saturday, when Tadej Pogacar and the GC contenders lit up the Col du Haag, the gruppetto wasn't the last group on the road. In fact, Anthon Charmig missed the stop for that last bus right from the beginning of the stage.
Uno-X Mobility have found themselves battered by crashes during the race. Torstein Traaen left the race after crashing in the yellow jersey on stage 6. On stage 12, multiple riders suffered a crash during the sprint finish including Soren Waerenskjold and Jonas Abrahamsen.
Charmig crashed on stage 2 and was recovering well before he hit the deck again on stage 12. He had taken the combativity prize on stage 11, but surely would have suffered more on Saturday as he battled right from the off, losing contact with the rest of the race and plodding on alone.
Charmig endures brutal day chasing the time cut
"The body was hurting a bit after my crash from two days ago, so I didn't really feel that good on the bike, and unfortunately I got dropped alone on the first climb and then it is impossible to do anything," said Charmig.
He battled through the entire stage to cross the finish line 58:17 after Pogacar's win and after crowds had cleared. Coming in twenty minutes after similarly bandaged-up teammates Abrahamsen and Warenskjold, the effort was unfortunately not enough as he missed the time cut and his finish result was declared OTL [over the limit].
Reflecting on his Tour de France, the 28-year-old Danish rider admitted his disappointment at spending his Tour de France on the back-foot from crashes but insisted he had good memories.
"It was quite disappointing. I have to admit I was quite sad when I crossed the finish line. I spent a lot of the Tour trying to come back from crashes but also it has been special for the team … I have a lot of great memories."
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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