Samwise Cycle Racing Newsletter
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Evenepoel Claims First Tour Road Stage, Outwitting Pogačar at Solaison Summit
Remco Evenepoel claimed his first Tour de France road stage on Sunday, shadowing yellow jersey holder Tadej Pogačar up the final climb to Plateau de Solaison before beating the Slovenian in a sprint at the summit finish. The 183.9-kilometre stage from Champagnole saw Evenepoel move into second place overall, 5:00 behind Pogačar. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) finished third and claimed the white best young rider jersey. The stage was overshadowed by Jonas Vingegaard crashing on the descent approximately 20 kilometres from the finish, eventually climbing into an ambulance with a broken collarbone.
Sources: Cyclingnews Cycling Weekly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Vingegaard Breaks Collarbone on Stage 15, Abandons Tour de France
Jonas Vingegaard suffered a broken collarbone during stage 15 of the Tour de France and will undergo surgery, ending his bid for a third overall title. The Visma–Lease a Bike leader crashed on the exit of a roundabout on the descent to the final climb, with roughly 20 kilometres remaining. Vingegaard said he came in “a little too fast” before his front wheel slipped. He had also been woken at 2am by anti-doping officials the night before the stage. “Luckily, it’s only a broken collarbone,” Vingegaard told Danish television, with surgery confirmed later during Monday’s rest day.
Sources: Cyclingnews Cycling Weekly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Anti-Doping Controversy Erupts as Race Leaders Woken at 2am Before Stage 15
Multiple Tour de France riders were subjected to overnight anti-doping controls during the second week of the race, with race leader Tadej Pogačar woken at 5am and Jonas Vingegaard knocked at 2am the night before stage 15. Stage winner Remco Evenepoel called the practice “inhuman” and “something we should not accept as athletes,” urging the Cyclists’ Professional Association to act. Cycling Weekly reported as many as eight teams faced testing. The CPA subsequently called for “intelligent” doping controls respecting athletes’ health, while the International Testing Agency defended the tests as essential for effective overnight monitoring.
Sources: Cyclingnews Cycling Weekly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Pogačar Suggests 2am Doping Test May Have Contributed to Vingegaard’s Crash
Tadej Pogačar has suggested that the anti-doping test that woke Jonas Vingegaard at 2am may have played a minor role in the Dane’s stage 15 crash. “It ruined his sleep,” Pogačar told Cyclingnews, expressing sympathy for his key rival. Vingegaard, tested three hours before Pogačar’s own 5am knock, said the visit was “a big surprise.” The Slovenian added he accepted testing if necessary to prove riders were clean. Visma–Lease a Bike also raised questions over the corner itself, with a team source telling Cyclingnews that a race motorbike “panicked” in the moments before Vingegaard fell.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Visma–Lease a Bike Left Without a Plan as Vingegaard Exit Exposes All-In Strategy
Visma–Lease a Bike faced a crushing blow at the Tour de France after Jonas Vingegaard’s stage 15 crash exposed the team’s all-in approach. “We had no plan B; we were really all in with Jonas,” said rider Matteo Jorgenson after the Dane abandoned with a broken collarbone. The squad had also entered the race without Wout van Aert, absent with an elbow injury from before the Grand Départ. Cycling Weekly reported the team acknowledged the loss with the phrase “bike racing sucks sometimes.” Visma now face completing the final six stages without meaningful general classification or sprint ambitions.
Sources: Cyclingnews Cycling Weekly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Stage 16 TT Underway: Evenepoel Targets Pogačar’s Lead in Solo Race Against the Clock
Remco Evenepoel enters Tuesday’s stage 16 individual time trial as the primary candidate to reduce the 5-minute gap to yellow jersey holder Tadej Pogačar. Cyclingnews describes the 26.1-kilometre route from Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains as “technical and tricky,” featuring a 9.6-kilometre ascent on the Côte de Larringes at an average gradient of 4.2 per cent before a descent and flat finish. Specialists Filippo Ganna and Josh Tarling are also regarded as threats on the course. Pogačar starts just two minutes after Evenepoel’s 17:13 CEST ramp time in a near head-to-head confrontation.
Sources: Cyclingnews Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Pedersen on Course for Green Jersey as Tour de France Enters Final Alpine Week
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) appears set to claim the Tour de France green points jersey, with Cyclingnews publishing an analysis after stage 15 headlined “Mads Pedersen’s to lose,” noting only one dedicated sprint stage remains in the race. Pedersen holds a clear lead over Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling) in the standings. Tuesday’s stage 16 time trial offers minimal points for sprinters, with the competition likely to be decided in the final days before Paris. Pedersen won stage 4 of this year’s Tour executing a plan Cyclingnews reported had been “made months in advance.”
Sources: Cyclingnews Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
General Classification
GC Top 5 — After Stage 15
1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) — leader 🟡
2. Remco Evenepoel — +5:00
3. Isaac del Toro (UAE) — +5:58 ⚪
4. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) — +6:23
5. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull–Bora) — +6:48
Jersey Leaders
Classification Leaders
🟡 Yellow: Tadej Pogačar (UAE)
🟢 Points: Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
⚪ Mountains: Tim Wellens (UAE)
⚪ Young Rider: Isaac del Toro (UAE)
Stage 16 TT today: Évian → Thonon (26.1km)
Curated by JD · samwise.agency