Evenepoel wins Tour stage 15; Vingegaard crashes out with fractured collarbone

Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel secured victory in the 15th stage of the 2026 Tour de France on Sunday, finishing the 114.3-mile climb to Plateau de Solaison in 4:23:09. Evenepoel withstood attacks from his breakaway companions, Tadej Pogacar and Isaac Del Toro, resisting two late surges from Del Toro in the final 800 meters before outsprinting Pogacar to the line. Pogacar crossed at the same time as Evenepoel, while Del Toro finished six seconds back in third place.

The stage marked Evenepoel's first road-stage win of the 2026 Tour and his third overall in the race. The Belgian rider, who shadowed the four-time champion Pogacar up the brutal 11-kilometer climb with a 9% gradient, said his performance demonstrated he can compete with the world's best climbers. "You have to understand, I'm racing with the best rider ever and he's been doing a hell of a climb. For me it's a big step forward that I can follow this pace," Evenepoel said after the win.

The race dynamics shifted dramatically when Jonas Vingegaard, Pogacar's primary rival for overall victory, crashed approximately 20 kilometers from the finish. The Danish cyclist from Visma–Lease a Bike lost control of his front wheel near a roadside kerb shortly after unannounced anti-doping tests conducted in the early morning hours. Vingegaard sustained a fractured collarbone requiring surgery and multiple abrasions, forcing his withdrawal from the race. Pogacar, who learned Vingegaard's test occurred at 2 a.m. while his own was at 5 a.m., expressed sympathy for his rival: "I'm really sad to see Jonas crash out. Without him the Tour will not be the same. We go back a long way."

Vingegaard's withdrawal elevated Evenepoel to second place overall, five minutes behind Pogacar. Mexican Del Toro sits third, 5:58 behind Pogacar. The 22-year-old French climbing prospect Paul Seixas finished fourth on the stage and holds fourth overall, 6:23 back from Pogacar. With a commanding five-minute lead and only nine stages remaining before the July 26 Paris finish, Pogacar appears well-positioned to claim a fifth Tour title, which would match the record held by Eddy Merckx, Miguel Indurain, Jacques Anquetil, and Bernard Hinault.

Tuesday's 16th stage is an individual time trial between Évian Les-Bains and Thonon Les-Bains, offering Evenepoel—the reigning Olympic and world time trial champion—an opportunity to narrow the overall gap. The Tour continues Monday with its second rest day.