“Sorry to disappoint anyone who thought I was an alcoholic" – Tour de France revelation Kevin Vauquelin joking after fracturing fibula in freak accident
Cycling
After a breakthrough performance at the 2025 Tour de France, Kevin Vauquelin should have been enjoying a well-earned rest. Instead, just two days after finishing eighth overall, the 24-year-old Frenchman is now facing an unexpected spell on the sidelines following a freak injury sustained at home.
Vauquelin, riding for Arkéa–B&B Hotels, fractured the distal end of his fibula in what the team described as a “domestic accident.” The brief statement, issued on Tuesday, offered no timeline for his recovery, stating only that “the duration of his unavailability will be announced at a later date.”
The lack of detail sparked widespread speculation online, prompting Vauquelin to address the incident himself via Instagram. “To be precise: it happened when I was walking down the stairs with my suitcase,” he wrote in a story post. “And no, it wasn’t in the middle of the night. Sorry to disappoint anyone who thought I was an alcoholic,” he added, jokingly, alongside a laughing emoji.
The injury comes at an unfortunate time for the young rider, who had been in contention for selection to represent France at the upcoming European Championships in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and the World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda. While neither appearance has yet been ruled out, the focus for Vauquelin must now shift to recovery and rehabilitation.
His Tour de France campaign marked the latest high point in a superb 2025 season. After finishing second at both La Flèche Wallonne and the Tour de Suisse, Vauquelin impressed again on home roads, lighting up the opening half of the Tour and at one point climbing as high as third in the general classification. He also briefly held the white jersey as best young rider before ultimately securing a top-10 finish in Paris — a result that exceeded expectations for both rider and team.
Vauquelin wore the White Jersey at the 2025 Tour de France
The Normandy native has been strongly linked with a move to INEOS Grenadiers for 2026, and his performances this year have only strengthened his stock. For now, though, all attention will be on his recovery, with Arkéa–B&B Hotels expected to provide further updates in due course.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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