Florian Lipowitz suffered a serious fall. © APA/afp / ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT

Another Tour de France shock! Lipowitz also suffers a serious crash.

When Florian Lipowitz crashed out, Olympic champion and world champion Remco Evenepoel won the only individual time trial at this year's Tour de France.

July 21, 2026

From: dpa/dl

The Belgian won his strongest discipline, finishing 28 seconds ahead of overall leader Tadej Pogacar. On the 26,1-kilometer stage between Evian-les-Bains and Thonon-les-Bains, the best German cyclist, Florian Lipowitz, crashed on a bend and had to abandon the race.

In the overall standings, Pogacar remains in the lead. The Slovenian is 4:32 minutes ahead of Evenepoel. Mexican Isaac del Toro is third, 6:51 minutes behind Pogacar. Following Jonas Vingegaard's crash on Sunday, which resulted in a broken collarbone, Lipowitz, another pre-race favorite, has now dropped out of the Tour de France. The 25-year-old from Baden-Württemberg finished third overall last year.

Lipowitz sped into a bend at high risk – then the German cycling hopeful's front wheel slipped out from under him, and his Tour de France ended with a hard impact on the asphalt. Eight kilometers from the finish of the individual time trial, the 25-year-old got into the ambulance, holding his arm.

Evenepoel wins and thinks of Lipowitz

“I heard that Florian crashed. That puts a damper on the whole thing. I wish him a speedy recovery,” said Remco Evenepoel, the eventual stage winner and Lipowitz's teammate. Not far from Lake Geneva, Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel surged across the finish line, unstoppable in his signature discipline. It had been expected that the Belgian would extend his lead over Lipowitz on his country's national holiday. But not in this way.

Remco Evenepoel won the time trial as expected. © APA/afp / JEFF PACHOUD

Both started the Tour as equal captains. Over time, Evenepoel proved to be the better rider. After the difficult Tourmalet stage, the Belgian also leveled harsh criticism at the German. However, it was repeatedly emphasized publicly that the two got along well.

After three stages that focused primarily on the overall favorites, Wednesday's stage could see the sprinters take center stage once again. The mostly flat 174,7-kilometer route between Chambéry and Voiron features a few gentle climbs, but a final mass sprint is possible – or perhaps a breakaway rider will emerge victorious.