VIDEO | Did a burst tire cause João Almeida's stage 7 crash?

Stage 7 of the 2025 Tour de France saw chaos unfold at high speed on the approach to the Mûr-de-Bretagne, as a crash ripped through the general classification group and forced Jack Haig to abandon. Among the riders caught in the fall: João Almeida, Santiago Buitrago, Ben Healy, Enric Mas, Louis Barré, and Guillaume Martin.

The crash happened at nearly 70 km/h. Conditions were tense, the heat was stifling, and the peloton was fully locked in. Initial speculation suggested fatigue, poor positioning, or a brief lapse in focus from Almeida, who was riding toward the back of the group.

But a closer look at the footage tells a different story.

Almeida appears to be the first to hit the deck. Just before the crash, the broadcast audio captures a sharp hiss, consistent with a tire blowout. On-screen, a brief puff of air can be seen rising from the tarmac. Almeida loses control instantly, and then hits the deck.

Another angle shows what appears to be a rear wheel with no tire at all. Despite the low image quality, it’s clear that his Colnago was the only bike missing rubber on the rear rim. This wasn’t rider error or positioning. This was rotten luck, a mechanical failure in the worst possible moment, on one of the most technical finishes of the first week.

Almeida remounted and finished, but the crash reshuffled the GC and leaves UAE Team Emirates – XRG assessing the damage. As for Almeida himself, he has suffered a fractured rib and now won't be able to fight for the podium, but he can still support Pogacar.