Drama at the Tour de France Time Trial
By Felix Mattis and Joachim Logisch (Thonon-Les-Bains)
Florian Lipowitz (in the white cape) leaves the Tour de France’s medical vehicle. | Photo: Felix Mattis
July 21, 2026 | (rsn) – Florian Lipowitz from Red Bull – Bora – hansgrohe sustained a serious clavicle fracture during his crash at the individual time trial of the 113th Tour de France. This information was shared by his team in an evening statement.
“After his impressive performances and numerous memorable moments in the past two weeks, this is a bitter and prematurely tragic end to his Tour de France 2026,” stated Red Bull – Bora – hansgrohe in a press release following the 16th stage. “The entire team stands firmly behind Florian and will support him as best as possible on his road to recovery. Our focus is now on his healing.”
The Incident Details
Shortly before, team manager Ralph Denk had taken questions from media representatives and expressed his disappointment: “It’s super unfortunate that he cannot continue; we will miss him not just in the podium battle but also as a person here. We won today, but it doesn’t feel great for us. I also feel for Remco (Evenepoel) that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.”
Team member Evenepoel secured his second consecutive stage win, finishing 28 seconds ahead of Tadej Pogacar (UAE – Emirates – XRG), who maintained his yellow jersey.
The 25-year-old Lipowitz suffered a heavy fall a few kilometers from the finish on the 26.1-kilometer course from Evian-Les-Bains to Thonon-Les-Bains. Television footage showed him holding his right shoulder. After several minutes of treatment, he managed to stand but was unable to continue racing.
Analysis of the Crash
Lipowitz had been in fourth place after the third intermediate time-check when he slipped in a right-hand bend and crashed into the protective barriers. He was initially transported to the Tour’s medical vehicle, where he underwent a 20-minute examination. It was evident that his right shoulder was severely scraped and bleeding. As he exited the medical vehicle, doctors had wrapped a white coat around his upper body.
Despite a team vehicle waiting, Lipowitz chose to ride in the ambulance instead, likely for more comfortable transport considering his injuries.
Denk’s Reflection on the Situation
“He wasn’t too slow, and in such a time trial, you have to take risks. There’s only a small window to assess the course,” Denk explained when asked about the possible causes of the crash. “The course was not closed yesterday when we could have checked it; this afternoon we had only a brief window, and you have to memorize 26 kilometers. Sure, you get directions from the team car, but in the end, he was a bit too quick.”
At the time of his exit, Lipowitz was sitting fifth overall, already 6:48 minutes behind Pogacar, but only 50 seconds away from a podium place. Evenepoel’s solid victory in the time trial bolstered his second position in the overall classification, which Denk commented on: “We certainly won’t give up the podium easily; it’s going to be a tough fight ahead with high mountains coming. But we have a strong Remco and a solid team.”
