Christophe Laporte abandons Ruta del Sol on final stage after crash

The crash occurred inside the final 25km, and the Frenchman was ultimately unable to continue the race. Tom Pidcock would go on to win the fifth and final stage, taking his first victory of the season. 

Meanwhile, Spanish champion Iván Romeo sealed the first GC victory of his career, following his victory on stage 2

Laporte had recently endured a 315-day spell on the sidelines after illnesses derailed his 2025 season, only beginning his campaign at the ADAC Cyclassics in Germany on August 17.

The 33-year-old started his 2026 with a bang by winning the opening stage of the Ruta del Sol, and sat 4th in the GC and 1st in the points classification ahead of the fifth and final stage. 

Visma | Lease a Bike will naturally hope the crash does not rule the Frenchman out of the upcoming Classics, which begin with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on February 28. Shortly after the stage, the team issued a statement offering cautious optimism: “For now, it seems okay.”

Later on, team director Marc Reef provided more detail: “He seems to have got off relatively lightly. Someone in front of him slipped and took out Christophe’s front wheel. He had nowhere to go and went down. He immediately said he couldn’t continue, but here at the finish it looks like it’s not too bad.”

Laporte’s teammate, Wout van Aert, is on the road to recovery after an ankle fracture suffered in a crash at the Zilvermeercross in Mol at the start of January.