Lipowitz abandons Tour de France with broken collarbone after time trial crash

The German started the time trial in fifth place overall, 50 seconds behind the final podium spot occupied by Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). 

Lipowitz suffered a high speed crash while negotiating a right hand turn in the final kilometres of his effort. When he was eventually able to return to his feet, he was seen holding his shoulder as Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe staff helped him away from the course.

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe sports director Patxi Vila confirmed after the stage that Lipowitz had been taken to hospital for further examinations.

“The feeling is a little strange,” Vila told In de Leiderstrui. “On the one hand, you are happy [due to the win of Evenepoel], but on the other hand, you are also sad because Florian crashed. He went down in that right hand corner. Of course, that is not nice.”

“He is on his way to hospital. We will see what the actual situation is. We hope he can return in good health soon.”

Lipowitz’s teammate Remco Evenepoel was the first to reveal that the German had suffered a broken collarbone.

The news was later confirmed in a statement from the team, which read:

"Florian Lipowitz suffered a broken collarbone in his crash during today’s individual time trial at the Tour de France.

After his outstanding performances and the many memorable moments he delivered over the past two weeks, this marks a bitter and far too early end to his 2026 Tour de France.

The entire team stands firmly behind Florian and will support him every step of the way. Our full focus is now on his recovery."

Vila said the corner did not appear to be particularly dangerous, but suggested Lipowitz may have misjudged his speed while riding at full intensity.

“It was a little technical, but nothing extraordinary. I think it was simply a corner,” he said.

“Sometimes you miss one when you are going full gas. I do not think many riders crashed there. It was just a corner. Sometimes you underestimate your speed or something like that, and then you crash.”

Shortly before the incident, Lipowitz had passed through the second intermediate time check in fourth place, 1:01 behind teammate Remco Evenepoel, who had posted the fastest time at that point.

Evenepoel was warned about the corner during his own effort, although the team did not tell him that Lipowitz had crashed.

“You do not tell him that someone has crashed there, but you do tell him to be extra careful,” Vila explained. “You try to protect him from that by giving him information about the corner.”

Lipowitz’s withdrawal marks the second successive stage in which a rider sitting inside the top 10 overall has been forced to abandon the Tour. Jonas Vingegaard suffered a fractured collarbone in a crash on stage 15.