"It shouldn't only happen when Pogacar falls" - Experts ask why peloton didn't immediately wait for Vingegaard & Lipowitz after stage 15 crash
Cycling
On stage 15 of the 2025 Tour de France, podium hopefuls Jonas Vingegaard and Florian Lipowitz were both caught up in a big crash in the peloton. Whilst neither were injured, they were delayed and found themselves off the back of the bunch. Unlike when Tadej Pogacar found himself in a similar situation earlier on in the race however, this time there was no immediate cease fire in the peloton.
"If such a large group is held up, then either the organization or the riders have to ensure that they wait," says Belgian ex-pro Sep Vanmarcke on the Sporza Tour podcast, with the Maillot Jaune Pogacar’s efforts to halt the racing described as "timid". "It shouldn't only happen when Pogacar falls, as we saw in the stage towards Toulouse."
The eventual stage winner Tim Wellens, later claimed that despite Pogacar’s best efforts, the peloton either didn't listen or didn't care to the Maillot Jaune's calls for calm. For Vanmarcke though, this argument doesn't hold up strongly.
"If the breakaway had already been gone, it would have been a different story for me, but so early in the stage and with the numbers 2 and 3 in the general classification being held up, they would have given each other a better chance to come back," he says. "Fortunately, that's what happened in the end."
"You have to see this in the bigger picture," countered Jan Bakelants on Vive le Velo. "At that point, it wasn't possible to stop things. When Pogacar crashed, the race was already in full swing and it was among equals, among GC contenders. Now things were different. Pogacar would have been the first to force something like that."
"I did think briefly about Trine, Vingegaard's wife," added Stijn Steels. "A second place in the general classification is still more important than a stage win, and at that moment, there was a potentially dangerous situation. I think someone in Denmark would have been angry."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
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