"Falling Gracefully": Pogacar Trips but Offers Praise to Rivals
In a dramatic turn of events during Stage 11 of the Tour de France 2025, defending champion Tadej Pogačar experienced a crash near Toulouse. The incident occurred when Pogačar clipped the rear wheel of Norwegian rider Tobias Johannessen, causing him to fall with approximately 5.6 kilometres remaining in the 156.8-kilometre stage.
Despite the fall, Pogačar showed incredible resilience, quickly getting back on his bike and putting his chain back into place. He sustained injuries including grazes and wounds to his left hip and elbow but managed to complete the stage.
The crash caused a real scare for the spectators, but it did not deter Pogačar's main rivals for the general classification, notably Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel, who showed sportsmanship by slowing down to allow him to rejoin the leading group, thereby limiting the time loss from the crash.
Following the stage, Pogačar remained in second place overall but was trailing the race leader, Irishman Ben Healy, by 29 seconds. Florian Lipowitz, another contender, was 3:34 minutes behind Healy.
The focus of Pogačar and Vingegaard is now on the upcoming mountain stages in the Pyrenees. The first of these, a 13.5-kilometre climb with gradients of up to 11.3 percent, is the final climb to Hautacam, marking the beginning of critical stages for the general classification battle.
The stage from Auch, covering 180.6 kilometres with 3,850 metres of climbing to the ski resort of Hautacam, will test the recovery and climbing form of the leaders following the crash. Pogačar will be under pressure to perform in these mountain stages, as they are pivotal for his title defense.
In the finish area of the Tour de France 2023, there was chaos caused by a protester wearing an Israel-critical shirt. However, the incident did not affect the overall standings, with no changes being made. Ben Healy remains 29 seconds ahead of Pogačar and 1:29 minutes ahead of Remco Evenepoel.
Norwegian Jonas Abrahamsen won the hectic and fast Stage 11, while Mathieu van der Poel finished third, missing his overall third Tour stage win by a few seconds. Florian Lipowitz mentioned that slowing down was part of cycling after Pogačar's fall, and he was seen shaking hands with Pogačar at the finish line.
Pogačar did not sustain a concussion or fractures but has bruises and scrapes on his left forearm and hip. Despite the setback, he expressed relief and admiration after the race, looking forward to the upcoming mountain stages in the Pyrenees. UAE, Pogačar's team, gave the all-clear regarding his condition.
Radio announcers discussed the sportsmanlike actions of various riders, including Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel, who slowed down to allow Tadej Pogačar to rejoin the leading group after his crash during the Tour de France 2025. Later, when Pogačar won the radio auction for a coveted slot on a team for the upcoming stage, he thanked his supporters and vowed to fight back in the upcoming mountain stages.
