Team Visma | Lease a Bike at the Tour de France 2026
On Sunday, July 19, tragedy struck during the 15th stage of the 2026 Tour de France: In a sharp turn, Jonas Vingegaard, the leader of Team Visma | Lease a Bike lost control of his front wheel, crashed, and was subsequently forced to withdraw from the Tour de France early. The team now faces an unexpected challenge.
One Team, one goal.
The Tour de France is the most anticipated cycling event of the year, and in the run-up to the race, there was heated discussion about Jonas Vingegaard’s chances of dethroning his longtime rival, Tadej Pogacar. The Dane himself entered the race with the confidence gained from winning the Giro d’Italia in May, and the team was selected exclusively for the mountain stages: Affini and Armirail for the flat sections, Hagenes and Campenaerts for the hills, and Jorgensen, Piganzoli, and Kuss for the steeper climbs.
A perfect start.
The race got off to as perfect a start as a race can: In the team time trial, Vingegaard’s riders executed their pre-planned strategy flawlessly; Vingegaard not only claimed the stage victory in the finish but also the yellow jersey.
Even though the yellow jersey had to be handed over to Pogacar—who is traditionally stronger in the first few weeks—after the third stage, the first two weeks went entirely according to plan for Team Visma | Lease a Bike. Although Vingegaard fell a few minutes behind Pogacar, he was once again able to defend his second-place position on the podium well. Due to Wout van Aert’s injury-related absence, the team had a relatively limited presence in the breakaway groups.
A tragic crash.
On Stage 15, on the way to the Plateau de Solaison, the team led the peloton, and everything was going perfectly according to plan—until Vingegaard’s front wheel slipped out in a sharp turn coming off a roundabout and he crashed. Kuss, riding directly behind Vingegaard, fell on top of him, as did rival Isaac Del Toro. While the other riders were able to get back on the road quickly, the second-place rider remained on the ground and received immediate medical attention. It has since been confirmed that the Dane has suffered a collarbone fracture.
The team is now without its leader, and the riders who have so far been exclusively supporting Vingegaard can now choose which stages to target for breakaway attempts during the third and toughest week of the Tour. The climbers, in particular, should have every opportunity to upset UAE Team Emirates – XRG—which has had two riders on the podium so far—and secure another stage victory.
We wish Jonas Vingegaard a speedy recovery and are rooting for Team Visma | Lease a Bike for the rest of the Tour de France.
Throwback: The Giro d'Italia 2026.
In the new Yellow B. documentary, filmed during the Giro d’Italia, the team follows Jonas Vingegaard behind the scenes on his journey toward completing the trilogy. They also look back at the other Grand Tours and speak with Vincenzo Nibali and Alberto Contador, two riders who, like Jonas, belong to the exclusive circle of cyclists who have won all three Grand Tours.
The next races at a glance.
August
Tour de Pologne
Date: 03.-09.08.
Place: Poland
Participants: Men's WorldTeam
Lidl Deutschland Tour
Date: 19.-23.08.
Place: Germany
Participants: Men's WorldTeam
Renewi Tour
Date: 19.-23.08.
Place: Belgium
Participants: Men's WorldTeam
Tour de France Femmes
Date: 01.-09.08.
Place: France
Participants: Ferrand-Prévot, Vos, de Vries
Lloyds Tour of Britain Women
Date: 19.-23.08.
Place: Great Britain
Participants: Women's WorldTeam
September
Vuelta a España
Date: 22.08.-13.09.
Place: Spain
Participants: van Aert, Brennan, Nordhagen, Tulett, Kruijswijk, Graat, Huising, Hagenes, Fiorelli
More information on the team: https://www.teamvismaleaseabike.com/
Our author
Antje Thomas
Antje Thomas has been working as a marketing manager at Lease a Bike since 2023 and, drawing on her many years of expertise, helps with content creation, among other things. Her dream company bike, which she’s already riding all over town: a Riese & Müller Culture Mixte vario.