Plugge identifies cause of Vingegaard crash as Visma prepares for Alpe d’Huez

Vingegaard suffered a broken collarbone after crashing on a narrow roundabout during Sunday’s stage to Plateau de Solaison. The Dane lost control as his Visma teammates swept into the corner at speed.

According to Plugge, the incident underlined a wider safety problem facing the Tour de France and professional cycling as a whole.

“It is simply becoming more dangerous,” the Visma chief told In de Leiderstrui. “That is also why Jonas crashed on Sunday. It was a very dangerous point and it was poorly indicated. It was life threatening. As a result, we have now lost the number two of the Tour de France.”

The central section of the roundabout had been marked, but Plugge believes there was not enough warning to alert riders to the severity of the approach. Victor Campenaerts entered the roundabout at the front of the group, with Vingegaard going down moments later.

Plugge sees the incident as part of a broader challenge created by modern road infrastructure.

“It is becoming increasingly difficult to make racing safe, with all the speed bumps, roundabouts and unmarked traffic islands,” he said.

His concerns were reinforced on Wednesday, when several riders crashed after hitting an unmarked ridge in the road. Fred Wright and Tom Pidcock were among those who went down, while race leader Tadej Pogačar narrowly avoided being caught up in the incident.

Vingegaard’s departure has forced the Dutch team to change it's approach to the final week. Instead of fighting for the yellow jersey, the team is now targeting stage victories and opportunities from breakaways.

Sports director Marc Reef admitted that it was not the scenario Visma had envisaged, but insisted the team remained motivated.

“It is not what you have in mind beforehand, of course, but it is what is still available to us and what we can still do,” Reef told WielerFlits. “We want to go for it. We still have the spirit. We showed that again today and we will continue to race like that over the coming days.”

Visma was active throughout Stage 18, placing Matteo Jorgenson in a strong breakaway after another intense battle to form the move. Jorgenson eventually finished third, having attacked with around 25 kilometres remaining before Richard Carapaz proved the strongest rider in the group.

Reef felt Jorgenson had managed his opportunities well, particularly after a difficult Tour in which the American had dealt with illness and crashes.

“Matteo rode a very good race and chose his moments to try something,” he said. “In the end, Carapaz was stronger, so you have to be satisfied with third place.”

Visma now faces back to back finishes on Alpe d’Huez, with the famous climb offering the team its final major opportunity to leave a mark on the race. 

Sepp Kuss confirmed that he hopes to ride aggressively during the final mountain stages after conserving energy on Thursday.

“I think over the next few days I would like to try,” he told Cyclism’Actu. “Today I tried to save the legs for the final two mountain stages. Hopefully I can be up there and enjoy myself.”

The American has raced on Alpe d’Huez before and believes the climb’s reputation comes as much from its atmosphere as from its physical difficulty.

“The climb itself is nothing extraordinary, to be honest, but it is iconic,” Kuss explained. “The number of fans makes it a finish where everybody wants to perform at their best, just because of the name.”

Whether a breakaway will be given enough freedom remains uncertain. Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG may wish to control the stage, particularly given the prestige attached to winning on Alpe d’Huez, but three demanding weeks of racing have weakened every team in the peloton.

UAE also lost Brandon McNulty during Stage 18, while several of its remaining riders have shown signs of illness. Reef expects a powerful group to form on the first two climbs and believes controlling such a move could carry significant risks.

“After more than two and a half weeks of racing, it has been incredibly hard,” Reef said. “Every day has been raced from the beginning to the end. There has not been a single quiet stage.”

Kuss believes that fatigue could create an opening. “I am sure UAE will try to control it, but in the third week, when a strong group goes, it is not always easy to bring them back,” he said. “There may be other teams that want to race for the stage as well.”

Without Vingegaard, Visma no longer has to protect a position in the general classification. That gives Kuss, Jorgenson, Davide Piganzoli and Bruno Armirail the freedom to join breakaways and chase a stage victory.

The two finishes on Alpe d’Huez now offer the team a final chance to claim a prestigious win after a difficult final week.