More Tour de France woe for Lotto-Intermarche: After Arnaud De Lie abandon, broken collarbone forces Jenno Berckmoes out on stage 12
CyclingThursday, 16 July 2026 at 20:00
Lotto-Intermarche have lost a second rider from the 2026 Tour de France after Jenno Berckmoes suffered a broken collarbone in the mass crash that disrupted the stage 12 sprint in Chalon-sur-Saone.
Berckmoes managed to remount and cross the finish line, but subsequent examinations confirmed the fracture and ended his race.
His withdrawal follows the stage 3 abandon of Arnaud De Lie, leaving Lotto-Intermarche with six riders and without two of their principal options for the remaining fast and transitional stages.
Fernando Gaviria was also forced out of the Tour after suffering a fractured left collarbone in the same high-speed incident.
Lotto-Intermarche lose another fast-finishing option
De Lie had begun the Tour as Lotto-Intermarche’s leading sprint option, but illness brought his race to a premature conclusion during the opening week. His departure forced the Belgian team to alter its approach, with Berckmoes offering a more versatile alternative for selective finales and stages that did not necessarily favour the pure sprinters.
The 25-year-old had endured his own difficult start to the Tour in the heat, but stage 12 brought signs that his condition was improving. He joined an attack on one of the late rises as several teams attempted to disrupt the approach to Chalon-sur-Saone before the race eventually regrouped for a bunch sprint.
“Jenno suffered enormously in the heat during the first week, but today he genuinely felt good,” Lotto-Intermarche sporting manager Kurt Van de Wouwer told Sporza. “You could see that as well from the attack on that little climb, where he was right up there. But then this happens.”
Berckmoes was caught in the crash on the final straight and completed the stage before the severity of the injury became clear. He will now return to Belgium rather than continue into the second half of the Tour. “His father is here and they are already heading to Herentals this evening,” Van de Wouwer confirmed.
Arnaud De Lie had already abandoned through illness earlier in the race
Paris target disappears after stage 12 crash
Berckmoes had marked out several opportunities later in the race, including the final stage into Paris. Those ambitions have now disappeared just as he appeared to be moving beyond the problems that had affected him during the opening week.
“It is a shame,” Van de Wouwer said. “We could still have used Jenno very well. He had marked out a few more stages, and the final day into Paris would also have suited him.”
Lotto-Intermarche continue with Lennert Van Eetvelt, Georg Zimmermann, Huub Artz, Liam Slock, Lars Craps and Baptiste Veistroffer. Berckmoes’ departure does not leave the team decimated, but it removes another of the riders most naturally suited to turning the remaining flatter opportunities into a result.
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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