tour de france stage 15 crash

Spectator causes major Tour de France crash on stage 15

The Tour de France has suffered its second major crash in as many days, this time caused by a rider coming into contact with a spectator.

Aerial footage from the host broadcaster showed American rider Sepp Kuss — riding for Jumbo-Visma — hitting the arm of a spectator with roughly 129km left on stage 15 of the race.

After hitting the spectator, Kuss then hit his teammate Nathan Van Hooydonck, who bore the brunt of the crash as he crumpled to the road resulting in a pile-up behind him.

Van Hooydonck was able to get back onto his bike and continue, with blood visible on his body.

Several riders were caught up in the crash, including Colombian Egan Bernal who won the race in 2019.

There were no abandonments as a result of the crash, despite several riders showing signs of injury.

In a statement on social media, Jumbo-Visma urged spectators to be mindful when the riders pass by. 

"Please be always aware when watching cycling at the side of the road," they said. 

While the crash was a major moment for the Jumbo-Visma team, their main rider and race leader Jonas Vingegaard was able to narrowly avoid the carnage.

Vingegaard's main rival, two-time champion Tadej Pogačar also avoided the crash as well as Australian Jai Hindley, who entered the stage fourth in the general classification.

There was a major crash early on stage 14 , which led to a stoppage of approximately 20 minutes as several riders were assessed by medical staff.

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Tour de France team consider legal action after fan causes crash

• Pile-up brought down multiple riders in 15th stage on Sunday
• Leader Vingegaard’s Jumbo-Visma team could press charges

The team of the Tour de France leader, Jonas Vingegaard, are considering pressing charges after a spectator caused a massive crash during the 15th stage to Saint-Gervais Mont‑Blanc on Sunday.

One of the defending champion’s key Jumbo-Visma teammates, the American climber Sepp Kuss, crashed after being caught by the outstretched arm of a fan as the peloton raced past. Kuss’s fall caused a domino effect through the peloton with multiple other riders also hitting the tarmac, in echoes of a similar incident caused by a fan with a placard, endured by the same team in the 2021 race.

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According to Reuters, the gendarmerie have identified the individual but will not arrest them unless Kuss wishes to take matters further. However, a spokesperson for Jumbo-Visma said: “The team might. We’ll find out how and when.”

The weekend’s stages were marked by several incidents involving race motorbikes and overexcited spectators. On Saturday, media motorbikes were slowed and hemmed in by large crowds at the top of the Col de Joux Plane and, as well as the mass fall on Sunday, the Latvian rider Krists Neilands also crashed while taking a drink from an in-race motorbike on a fast Alpine descent.

Team Cofidis were one of those to tell spectators that they “don’t need a cellphone to make memories”. However, the Tour de France entered into a new partnership with the social media giant TikTok shortly before this year’s race began and has actively encouraged fans to create content.

In a press release from 22 June, Julien Goupil, the media and partnerships director for the Tour promoter, ASO, described TikTok as a “perfect match” for the Tour and said “the content created at the roadside will enhance existing coverage and bring the public together around the event even more widely”.

Conscious of the need for a younger demographic of fans and influencers, the Tour has been seeking to attract a new audience for several years and is itself extremely active on social media. Selfie sticks, phones and even rogue drones are also commonplace at the roadside, despite the Tour’s best efforts to limit any interference in the racing.

But this is an impossible task. The Tour de France is a free, unticketed event that draws hundreds of thousands to the roadside, especially when it arrives in the mountains, where sleep-deprived fans camp out for days on end, living on a diet of sunshine, cheap beer and not-so-fine wines.

In reality, it is a health and safety nightmare and has been so for more than a century. The most renowned climb for spectator interaction is the hair-pinned ascent to Alpe d’Huez, where organised chaos somehow prevails as the riders pass through the sea of partying fans.

When Giuseppe Guerini broke clear of the peloton and climbed towards a career-best victory on the prestigious stage to the Alpe in July 1999, he didn’t expect to be brought down by a bespectacled 19-year-old wielding an Instamatic camera. But the Italian rider hadn’t reckoned with Eric, surname unknown, standing motionless in the middle of the most famous climb in cycling, waiting to click his shutter. The pair collided, Guerini fell, then got to his feet, received a push from the hapless Eric, yet carried on to win the stage.

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More recently, in 2016, the planned finish at the top of Mont Ventoux was aborted because of high winds at the summit and the finish line brought much lower down the mountain to Chalet Reynard. Thousands of spectators moved to the new finish line, and overcrowding caused a blockade of fans, motorbikes and fallen riders including the race leader, Chris Froome, who, with his team car blocked by the throng, opted to jog most of the remaining distance.

Such incidents are as old as the Tour itself. Tacks on the road, dogs and sometimes even horses blocking the path of riders, while brawling partisan fans trying to sabotage a rival and protesters – ranging from farmers, to fisherman and climate activists – are all part of the Tour’s history. Only a massive police presence, a huge investment in crowd barriers and the increased awareness of occasional cycling fans, rather than diehards, will eradicate the problem.

Meanwhile the duel in the sun, between Vingegaard and his closest rival, Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates, who are separated by only 10 seconds, resumes on Tuesday in the 22.4km time trial from Passy to Combloux, at the foot of Mont Blanc.

It has also been confirmed that Vingegaard, whether he becomes Tour champion or not, will not be racing for Denmark in the Glasgow-based UCI world championships in August.

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Sepp kuss taken down by spectator in another mass crash at the tour de france, kuss at center of pileup on stage 15 after rider collides with crowd-member's outstretched arm..

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Stage 15 of the Tour de France was rocked by a huge pileup Sunday.

Sepp Kuss, Egan Bernal, Biniam Girmay, and Nathan van Hooydonck were among around 20 riders that hit the tarmac 60km into the decisive GC stage through the Alps.

A Jumbo-Visma rider to the right side of the speeding peloton collided with a spectator holding their arm into the race course while the bunch sped through a narrow crowd-packed stretch of road.

Team officials told Velo they believe the rider that came into contact with the crowd member was Kuss, though could not confirm. The Coloradan was later seen with gauze wrapped around his elbow and a grazed knee.

The inial crash rippled through the peloton and dozens came down hard.

Tadej Pogačar appeared to be immediately behind the crash though somehow came through unscathed while others toppled down around him.

Maxi crash at the Tour de France caused by a roadside person who was filming with his phone. Crash seen in slow motion. #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/qAbxycQSBf — Procyclinglover (@procyclinglover) July 16, 2023

Racers called a self-imposed neutralization and all riders eventually remounted their bikes.

However, several looked to have collected fresh injuries, notably Jonas Vingegaard’s workhorse domestique Van Hooydonck.

Eurosport commentator and former pro Jens Voigt is spending the stage on a media motorbike and said during the TV coverage that he spoke to Jumbo-Visma DS Frans Maassen. According to Voigt, Maassen said “Van Hooydonck and Kuss were in the crash. Kuss okay, Van Hooydonck did hurt himself.”

It remained to be seen if the fall would affect Kuss’ normally stellar workload for the squad.

The incident carried echoes of the infamous “Opi Omi” crash of the 2021 Tour de France.

That time, Jumbo-Visma’s Tony Martin collided with a fan holding a poster, provoking one of the most horrible high-speed mass crashes in recent Tour history.

Jumbo-Visma’s top boss Richard Plugge was quick to take to social media to condemn crowd members who jeopardize the safety of racers.

“My goodness. Here is very clear what’s happening,” Plugge wrote. “What on earth are you doing there?! You just hit a couple of riders off the bike. Stay at home if you don’t respect the riders.”

The crash marks the second time in two days that the Tour peloton has been battered by pileups.

Stage 14 on Saturday was neutralized for almost 30 minutes when riders came sliding to the ground on a damp descending corner, with a handful of riders later abandoning.

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Jumbo-Visma Ready to Sue the Roadside Fan Who Caused Sepp Kuss to Crash

Police have identified the fan who caused the huge crash in stage 15 of the 2023 Tour de France.

Sepp Kuss, who was just elected domestique of the week by the tour, has been vital to defending champion Jonas Vingegaard’s race. Kuss told Reuters , “There was a spectator leaning into the road... There was a narrowing in a town. We were just trying to slow down the peloton to let the break go.” But Kuss was hit by the fan, “And then just on the side unfortunately, somebody wanted to get a selfie. I didn't really see it coming.”

Fans of the tour might remember something similar in 2021, when a fan caused a crash by holding a cardboard sign in front of riders so that it would be seen by TV cameras. That woman was charged with causing a dangerous situation and fined 1,200 euros ($1,347.48).

Reuters reported that this spectator would not be arrested unless Kuss and Jumbo-Visma pressed charges. When asked if they would, a team spokesperson said that they might, they just had to decide how and when.

According to CyclingNews , Jumbo-Visma team manager Richard Plugge said, “I think we owe that to the riders who were on the ground. Not only ours, but also those of other teams.”

Sepp Kuss continues to recover from his injuries, and remains in 6th place overall. The message that Jumbo-Visma and all involved want to send is that fans need to behave better when watching and cheering the Tour de France from the roadside. Actions have consequences.

Micah Ling is a freelance writer who lives in the mountains of Colorado. She splits her free time between mountain biking and trail running.

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Fan causes huge crash that sends riders ‘down like skittles’ on Stage 15 of Tour de France 2023

For the second day in a row, there was a huge crash at the Tour de France. It appeared as though a fan clipped a Jumbo-Visma rider, who then careered into the peloton. It happened towards, but not right at, the front of the bunch, and the rider who was originally clipped by the fan appeared to be Sepp Kuss. Stream the 2023 Tour de France live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.com

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Tour de France Fan Causes Massive Crash by Taking a Sidelines Selfie

About 20 riders were involved in Sunday's incident at Stage 15 of the cycling event

Erin Clack is a Staff Editor for PEOPLE. She has been writing about fashion, parenting and pop culture for more than 15 years.

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A sideline selfie had catastrophic consequences at the Tour de France on Sunday.

A spectator trying to take a photo at Stage 15 of the world-famous cycling event inadvertently knocked the handlebars of rider Sepp Kuss of Team Jumbo-Visma, setting off a large crash.

A video , shared on YouTube by NBC Sports, captured a fan in a white hat taking a selfie with their arm extended as Kuss, 28, passed. The American's bike was bumped, resulting in the crash that brought down about 20 other cyclists including teammate Nathan van Hooydonck of Belgium, according to the BBC .

"There was a narrowing in the town and a spectator in the road, and I guess he just clipped my handlebars," Kuss told the outlet. "Luckily I'm OK and hopefully the other guys in the crash are all right. It's not ideal."

Kuss attributed the unfortunate incident and his inability to react quickly enough to avoid crashing to fatigue. "It's been such a hard race and everybody is a bit tired. You lose a bit of alertness and there's always things out of your control as well," he explained.

All the riders who crashed successfully completed the 179-kilometer stage from Les Gets les Portes du Soleil to Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc, which was won by Dutchman Wout Poels.

Following the crash, the official Tour Twitter account posted a slow-motion video of a competitor ducking under a spectator's arm, writing, "Please pay attention to the riders."

Several teams tweeted similar requests to fans. "Please be always aware when watching cycling at the side of the road," Team Jumbo-Visma posted .

"If you are spectating at this amazing event, please give the riders room to race," INEOS Grenadiers said .

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Sunday's crash was the biggest since an incident at the 2021 Tour , when a young woman holding a sign with a message in German for her grandparents caused cyclist Tony Martin to lose control of his bike, leading to a massive pileup. Two riders were pulled from the event and eight others were treated for various injuries. It took approximately 25 kilometers (more than 15 miles) for the peloton to fully regroup.

The woman was arrested the next day after she presented herself to a police station in Landerneau, an area in Brittany, France, where the tour held its first four stages.

The woman was ordered to pay a symbolic fine of one euro, per the BBC.

"We just want people to take care when they come to the Tour and remember they are there to see the champions — and not to get on television," Tour director Christian Prudhomme said.

Tour competitors have become increasingly concerned about spectators seeking to be close to the road action. In June, the sport's world governing body, UCI, rolled out its new SafeR initiative, a broad range of safety measures including management of crowds.

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Spectator causes mass crash at Tour de France

It was another mass crash that afflicted the tour de france on stage 15, this time one caused by a spectator..

A crash blocks the road during Stage 15 of the 2023 Tour de France

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Tour champion Vingegaard still hopes to be in ‘top shape’ for this year’s race after bad crash

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard pedals on his way to win the fifth stage of the Tirreno Adriatico cycling race, from Torricella Sicura to Valle Castellana, Italy, Friday, March 8, 2024. Two-time defending Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard is back on his bike a month after the bad crash that left him with a collarbone and several ribs broken, and the Danish rider aims to compete this summer at cycling’s biggest race. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP, File)

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PARIS (AP) — Two-time defending Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard is back on his bike, just a month after a bad crash that left him several broken ribs and a collapsed lung.

And the Danish rider is still hoping to compete at this year’s Tour, which starts in seven weeks.

“I feel good, it’s improving day by day,” Vingegaard said in a video released by his team, Visma–Lease a Bike. “I still have some things to recover from, but it’s going better and better. Of course I hope to be there at the start of the Tour de France. We don’t know exactly how my shape and how my recovery will go, but I will do everything I can to get there in my top shape.”

Vingegaard was hospitalized in Spain last month following the crash that involved other top riders during a chaotic Tour of the Basque Country. He also sustained a broken collarbone and a pulmonary contusion during the accident, which came less than three months before the start of the Tour de France on June 29.

He was back in the saddle on Tuesday.

“This is the first time back on the bike for me riding outside, and it’s really nice to finally be able to ride like normal again,” Vingegaard said in the video, standing by his bicycle. “Finally to be able to ride on the road is really amazing and I’m really looking forward to taking the next steps.”

Before the crash, Vingegaard had been considered one of the top favorites at the Tour again alongside his rival Tadej Pogacar, who is aiming for a Giro d’Italia-Tour de France double this year.

Vingegaard was hardly moving when he was put into an ambulance wearing an oxygen mask and neck brace after the crash with less than 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) remaining in the stage. The pileup also took out Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel, along with several other riders, many of whom needed hospital treatment.

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Vingegaard 'hopes' to make Tour after injury

Vingegaard won last year's Tour de France by more than seven minutes

• Published 7 May 2024

Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard says he hopes to regain enough fitness to attempt to win the title for a third successive year.

The 27-year-old Dane was injured in a freak crash during a race in northern Spain, which left him with a broken collarbone and ribs, and a collapsed lung.

"I feel good and I'm improving day by day," he said. "Of course I hope to be there at start of Tour de France, but we don't know exactly how my shape and recovery will go."

The Tour begins in the Italian city of Florence, on 29 June.

Vingegaard, who also won the Tour in 2022 - deposing Slovenia's 2020 and 2021 winner Tadej Pogacar - added in a video posted by his team: , external "This is first time back on the bike for me riding outside.

"It's really nice to finally be able to ride like normal and to ride on the road - I'm really looking forward to taking the next steps."

Visma-Lease a Bike's Vingegaard had been showing dominant form in the early season before the crash on a fast and twisty descent during the Itzulia Basque Country stage race - a serious accident which saw several riders injured, including two of the sport's best in Primoz Roglic of Slovenia and Belgium's Remco Evenepoel.

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Vingegaard suffers broken collarbone & ribs in crash

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Vingegaard, along with Pogacar of UAE-Team Emirates, are considered to be a level above all other riders in the sport, and the pair were preparing for a third mouth-watering battle in the three-week Grand Tour during July.

Vingegaard's crash had raised the chances of Pogacar achieving a historic double of winning the Giro d'Italia and Tour in the same year - last achieved by Italy's legendary rider Marco Pantani in 1998.

Pogacar is currently leading the Giro, ahead of Britain's Geraint Thomas of Ineos Grenadiers.

Vingegaard's crash caused many in the sport to call for change, including Ineos co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who wrote an open letter to the sport's world governing body the UCI following several high-profile incidents on the road in 2024.

Last year, Swiss Gino Mader was killed following a crash while descending at high speed during his home race.

Vingegaard won both of the stage races he entered before his crash, including O Gran Camino in Spain, and Italy's Tirreno-Adriatico

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Tour De France Champ Vingegaard Back Riding After Crash

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Jonas Vingegaard on Tuesday completed his first outing on a bicycle a month after a horrific crash and insisted he was hopeful of bidding for a third straight Tour de France crown.

"Of course I hope to be there at the start of the Tour de France," the Danish Visma-Lease a Bike rider said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"We don't know exactly how my shape and recovery will go but I will do everything I can to get there," he added of the June 29 to July 21 race.

The 27-year-old was hospitalised after suffering rib and collarbone fractures and sustaining lung damage in a mass crash on the Tour of the Basque Country on April 4.

"This is the first time back on the bike for me, riding outside and it's really nice to be finally able to ride like normal again and finally to be able to ride on the road is really amazing," Vingegaard said.

"I'm really looking forward to taking the next steps," he continued.

"I feel good, it's improving day by day. I still have some things to recover from but it's going better and better."

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Vingegaard breaks his collarbone in bad crash in Tour of the Basque Country race

Two-time defending Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard was rushed off to hospital in an ambulance after a 12-cyclist mass crash. He was fitted with an oxygen mask and a neck brace.

Le Monde with AFP

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Two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard broke his collarbone and several ribs after a horror mass crash during stage four of the Tour of the Basque Country on Thursday, April 4.

"It was a terrible fall but thankfully he is in a stable condition and conscious," his team Visma-Lease a Bike reported on X. "Tests in hospital have revealed that he has suffered a broken collarbone and several ribs. He remains under supervision at the hospital," the team added on the social media platform.

Belgian ace Remco Evenepoel was another to emerge battered and bruised from the horror accident. "Remco will return to Belgium tomorrow to be operated on a broken collarbone and pass further tests at the hospital at Herentals," his Soudal-Quick Step team announced. His injuries have ruled him out of upcoming one-day classics in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Other big names involved in the crash who were taken to hospital were Jay Vine and Steff Cras, while Primoz Roglic was also involved and did not finish the stage. "Over the radio we heard that Jonas was involved in a big crash," said Visma sports director Addy Engels. "We immediately saw that it didn't look good when we arrived to him."

Despite the gravity of Vingegaard's injuries, they came as almost a sense of relief that they were not more serious.

Several of the 12 riders involved in the crash fell into a concrete ditch after sliding off on a corner with around 35 kilometers to go in the run from Etxarri Aranatz to Legutio, in northern Spain. The 2022 and 2023 Tour de France winner Vingegaard was taken to an ambulance on a stretcher, while Belgian Evenepoel was walking but his team Soudal Quick Step confirmed he was also going to hospital.

"Jonas is conscious and will be examined in the hospital now," Visma said on X. "Thank you for your messages. More updates later," they added of their 27-year-old star who won the Basque Tour last year. Roglic offered a thumbs-up to television cameras while sitting in the Bora-Hansgrohe team car, to show he was not significantly injured. UAE Team Emirates said their Australian rider Vine was also taken to hospital but was conscious and talking, along with Team TotalEnergies rider Cras.

The crash happened on the descent from the Alto de Olaeta after a rider in the front of the peloton slid off the road on a right-hand bend. "Horrified by the crash we witnessed today. Our team was spared, but we feel for those who got caught," said team Decathlon-AG2R on X. "We can only wish that all riders involved are not injured too seriously."

'Stage times not counted'

A six-man breakaway was allowed to continue to try and race for the stage win in the final 18km, with Louis Meintjes crossing the line first. "The race is neutralized until the finish line, the six leading riders will compete in the stage but the stage times will not be counted for the general classification," race organizers said. "The bunch will go in neutral until the finish line."

Meintjes finished ahead of second place Reuben Thompson and Vacek Karel in third. "It's not the way you want to win... if there was a challenge for the break I would have been ready to fight for the stage," South African Intermarche-Wanty rider Meintjes told Eurosport. "(What happened) is unfortunate, takes the pleasure out of it, it's maybe a victory but it doesn't feel like it. I don't know what the situation behind was, it must have been pretty bad, I hope everyone has a speedy recovery."

Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost), Alexander Cepeda and Natnael Tesfatsion (Lidl-Trek) were also involved in the crash. Earlier Thursday Roglic's team-mate Lennard Kamna was in a "stable condition" in intensive care after a collision with a car during a training ride in Tenerife.

Roglic, who also fell on Wednesday in stage three but quickly recovered, was leading the overall standings from Evenepoel by seven seconds at the start of racing on Thursday. Friday's fifth and penultimate stage is a 175.9km ride north from Vitoria-Gasteiz to Amorebieta-Etxano.

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Canadian riders Michael Woods, Riley Pickrell crash out of Giro d'Italia

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Canadian riders Michael Woods and Riley Pickrell are out of the Giro d’Italia.

The two were involved in separate crashes Wednesday with Israel-Premier Tech teammate Nadav Raisberg going down in the same accident as Woods on the fifth stage of the Giro, which precedes the Tour de France and Spanish Vuelta on the Grand Tour calendar.

Pickrell’s face was bloodied and he lost his helmet in a crash with four other riders. Woods, Raisberg and another four riders were involved in a crash 10 kilometres later.

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Israel-Premier Tech said Woods was ruled out after showing symptoms of a mild concussion overnight.

The team then made a “late decision” to withdraw Pickrell from the race.

“His face bore the impact of the crash (Wednesday) and although he is feeling well enough to start, some slight confusion has been identified and the team is not willing to take the risk given the possibility of concussion,” the team said in a statement. “Riley needs time to recover and today’s stage is too risky, so the team has made the difficult decision to withdraw him from the race.”

The crash left Woods 107th in the general classification standings while Israel’s Raisberg, who broke his hand, was 164th and Pickrell 169th.

“We were gearing up for the climb when one rider caused a chain-reaction crash.” said Raisberg.

“My teammate, Mike Woods, fell, and I, who was riding right behind him, crashed over him and was thrown up. When I landed on my hands, I immediately knew something was broken, but I got back on the bike and prayed I was wrong.”

Wednesday’s fifth stage covered 178 kilometres from Genova to Lucca.

Woods was returning to the Giro after a six-year absence, looking to complete a trifecta of Grand Tour stage victories.

In addition to a stage win at last year’s Tour de France, he won a stage in both the 2018 and 2020 editions of the Spanish Vuelta. Woods’ best result at the Giro was runner-up in the fourth stage in 2018.

The 37-year-old from Ottawa was competing in his third Giro and 11th Grand Tour race. Pickrell, a 22-year-old from Victoria, was in his first Grand Tour event.

The 107th edition of the Giro ends May 26 in Rome after 3,400 kilometres of racing. The Tour de France and Spanish Vuelta, the other two Grand Tour events, begin June 29 and Aug. 17, respectively.

Woods, who has recovered from a virus that ruled him out of the Ardennes Classics earlier in April, has largely focused on the Tour de France and Spanish Vuelta since his last ride in the Giro in 2018.

Israel-Premier Tech is co-owned by Canadian-Israeli entrepreneur Sylvan Adams with fellow Canadian Kevin Ham also a partner in the team.

Head sports director Steve Bauer raced in nine editions of the Tour de France, finishing fourth overall in 1988 after winning a stage and spent five days in the leader’s yellow jersey. Bauer, just the second Canadian ever to lead the Tour after Alex Stieda in 1986, also wore the yellow jersey for nine straight days In 1990.

Israel-Premier Tech performance director Paulo Saldanha, coach Christopher Rozdilsky and team nutritionist Vanessa Zoras are also Canadians. And co-title sponsor Premier Tech is a Canadian company.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2024

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As it happened: Pogačar smashes Perugia TT

Slovenian beats Ganna as Thomas struggles in 40.6km individual time trial

Giro d'Italia – Everything you need to know Giro d'Italia 2024 - Stage 7 time trial start times Giro d'Italia route 2024 Giro d'Italia stage 6 report

Stage 7 Results

Giro d'italia: tadej pogačar dominates gc as he beats ganna to striking time trial victory.

Thanks for joining Cyclingnews for our live stage coverage. 

Alasdair Fotheringham and Barry Ryan will soon have news, interviews and analysis from Perugia on all the events of the day. 

We'll be back on Saturday with live coverage of stage 8 of the 024 Giro d'Italia. 

There is no chance to catch your breath, with the stage heading into the high Apennines for the 14km Prati di Tivo mountain finish. 

Pogacar could be happy to let a break stay away and let the pink jersey go but that will only inspire attacks. It should be a fascinating stage.  

This is our stage 8 preview, with maps showing the climbs during the 152km stage. 

2024 Giro d'Italia stage 8 - preview

We also have reports on the first stage of the Itzulia Women race and the Tour de Hongrie.

Click on the Cyclingnews home page to see all our content.

The sun was out in Umbria for the time trial but there are concerns about the huge snow that has fallen in the high mountains recently. Barry Ryan has that story from Perugia 

Still too soon for final decision on snowbound Stelvio’s inclusion on stage 16 of Giro d’Italia

We also report on how Ganna, Thomas and other riders at Ineos used the Classified 'front derailleur killer' hub so they could use a single chainring set-up for better aerodynamics and chain line.

Filippo Ganna uses Classified 'front derailleur killer' hub for Giro d'Italia time trial  

To read our full stage report and see our growing photo gallery from the TT, click below.  

As the dust settles o the stage, this is the stage result and GC from our friends at First Cycling.

This is the spectacular final kilometre of Pogavar's time trial, as he  snatches the stage victory from Ganna and gains huge amounts of time on his GC rivals. 

🔻 And when it mattered the most, @tamaupogi rose to the occasion. A huge ride leaving his rivals speechless, as the Slovenian emerged victorious⏮ The @Continentaltire Ultimo Kilometro ⤵️#GirodItalia #LastKm | #Continental #ContinentalItalia #SafetySponsorOfTheRoad pic.twitter.com/kTSwLpK3WU May 10, 2024

Pogacar admitted he did not have a lot of information from the team car. He just went all out.

“I heard only two times the time gap, and also I wasn’t so sure what they said on the radio. I was just focusing on myself,” he said.

“I knew the climb suits me, suits me better than other people for sure. That was my advantage on the climb, especially because it was quite steep.” 

Pogacar was proud of his performance as much as his time gain.

“I felt good After the World Championships last year, today was my first race on the TT bike again. It was a lot of preparation for this and a lot of ups and downs since last year in the time trial so I’m super happy that today I felt good,” Pogacar said. 

“I started with an easier pace, I had to get used to the TT bike. Then I paced myself until the climb. I’m super happy with the day on the bike.” 

Sometimes Pogacar seems a little bored with the post-race obligations and keen to get away to rest up but today he seems genuinely happy today.   

Now Pogacar pulls on the maglia rosa. 

Pogacar enjoys his moment on the podium. His lock of blonde hair is again sticking out below his cap as he collects the different prizes for winning the time trial.  

Pogacar is in control of the Giro now but the races switches again on Saturday, with the first real mountain stage deep into the central Apennines with a 14km climb to Prato di Tivo.  

There was also time for fair play. 

🇸🇮 @TamauPogi 🤝🤝 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @GeraintThomas86 #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/RXhPB5SBP6 May 10, 2024

Thomas spoke briefly at the finish. He naturally not happy with his ride.

"I tried to ride within myself and when it was time to go, I felt ‘OK’ but just lacked it a bit," he admitted. 

"I just couldn’t get on top of it over those kickers. Yeah, it is what it is. It was just one of those days." 

The new GC includes that big time gaps.

Martinez is second at 2:36 and Thomas is down to third at 2:46.

Ben O'Connor is fourth at 3:33.

Pogacar's time gains are huge. 

He beat Ganna by 17 seconds but gained 1:21 on Tiberi, 1:49 on Martinez and 2:00 on Thomas. 

Ganna watched Pogacar race from the hot seat but could only shake hands with his rivals as head away in defeat.

Here's Pogacar in action and at sped on the climb.

He knew he had won he stage and punched the air in celebration as he crossed the line.

While Thomas struggled on the climb to Perugia, Pogacar flew and pulled back a huge amount of time.

Pogacar now leads Dani Martinez by 2:36 in the Giro GC.

He beat Ganna by 17 seconds! 

He has also extended his lead massively.  

Pogacar sets a time of 51:44 and wins the stage!!!

He's fast, very fast! 

Here comes Pogacar! 

Geraint Thomas stops the clock in a time of 53:44 

He is slower than several of his teammates and Martinez.

That is 1:43 slower than Ganna but what will he lose to Pogacar? We will find out in just 2 minutes or so.

Thomas is next in, then Pogacar.

Dani Martinez sets 53:33, only 1:32 down on Ganna. That's a great ride for his GC hopes.

Thomas is on a steep section of the climb. He tries to up the speed by pushing on the pedals but Pogacar is gaining time.

Cian Uijtdebroeks has lost the white jersey to Luke Plapp.

Cian Uijtdebroeks sets a time of 54:39.

That's 2:38 slower than Ganna but what does it mean for the GC and white jersey?

It seems Thomas is losing more and more time to Pogacar.

The climb is packed with tifosi and they cheer on Pogacar.

Thomas is fighting and trying to stay in an aero tuck even on parts of the climb.

Can Pogacar even beat Ganna and win the stage? It could be close. 

Pogacar has gained 40 seconds on Thomas so far and there is still the climb to the finish to cover. 

Pogacar starts the climb and dances on the pedal. 

Pogacar is only 47 seconds slower than Ganna at time check 2! 

Thomas is 1:27  slower than Ganna at the 2nd time check. Has he slowed a little? Has the wind placed a factor for the final riders?

What Will Pogacar do? We will soon find out.

Dani Martinez is chasing him and is also on the climb. 

He was 2:04 down on Ganna at time check 2 but that's a good GC performance. 

Cian Uijtdebroeks is on the climb and has switched a small chainring.

This is a thriller as Pogacar, Thomas and the GC riders race to Perugia. 

The 6km climb to the finish will decide everything today. 

O'Connor revealed he used 58-44 chainrings. He tried a 46 in his final recon of the climb but it was too big.

“I tried to get it back on while I was still moving but I had to stop. I eventually got it back on with a mechanic but it was pretty average to lose that time because I think I actually did a really good ride, my power was good.” O’Connor said.

Barry Ryan and Alasdair Fotheringham are at the finish for Cyclingnews and have told us that O'Connor's chain came off during the TT. He had to stop and he thinks it lost 30 seconds due to the problem.

⏱️ First intermediate :🇸🇮 @TamauPogi + 44" 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @GeraintThomas86 + 52" #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/1LVGBqMpfS May 10, 2024

Thomas has a much lower cadence than Pogacar but it seems effective. 

Pogacar has 20km to race.

He jumps a bump in the road and dives through a sweeping curve.

Pogacar is still on the valley toad and trying to catch anything that remains from the motorbike slipstream that is 50 metres head of him.

Ben O'Connor sets a time of 53:51. That's 7th fastest so far. That's a good time for the GC contender. 

Pogacar reaches the first time split. He is eight seconds faster than Thomas after 18km. 

Pogacar was 44 seconds slower than Ganna, due to  Ganna power and speed but also due to a possible increase in the wind out on the flat valley road.   

Geraint Thomas is fighting a huge gear, using a 66 single chainring. 

At the first time split, Cian Uijtdebroeks loses 1:41 to Ganna. That's a lot but has to be compared to his GC and white jersey rivals.

Pogacar has covered 10km and seems focused and aero as he paces his ride on the straight flat road from Foligno towards Perugia. 

Luke Plapp finishes sixth, 1:28 to Ganna. We'll know post-stage exactly how many places he climbs in the GC.

Of course, the TT is more than a Pogacar-Ganna or Pogacar-Thomas battle.   

There will be significant changes in the GC which will indicate who remains in contention.

It'll be interesting to see how Bardet, Martinez, Uijtdebroeks, Tiberi and others perform.

The TV motorbike is tucked low near the road as it follows Pogacar.

He seems to be riding at 60km/h! 

For the next 53 minutes it's a race for every second.

He's off! Pogacar starts his time trial.

Their team leader Geraint Thoms sets off for his ride.

Thymen Arensman finishes in a time of 53:44  but Ineos are dominating so far.

Ganna set 52:01 and Shffield set 52:33.

Martinez, Thomas and Pogacar are in the start house and doing their final mental preparations after swapping first pumps.

The GC TT battle is about to begin. 

Cian Uijtdebroeks is off, wearing the white jersey as best young rider. 

The final riders start at three-minute intervals to avoid catching each other.  

Thymen Arensman of Ineos in the final climb. He doing a good ride.  

This was the moment when Ganna stopped the clock.  

A post shared by Eurosport Cycling (@eurosportcycling) A photo posted by on

Plapp is 49 seconds slower than Ganna at the first intermediate time check. He is only 11th of the riders who have raced so far. 

Here comes Magnus Sheffield. The young American sets 52: 33. 

He is only 32 seconds slower than Ganna. That's a great ride.

Max Schachmann finishes fast and sets 52:49. That is only 49 seconds down on Ganna and second fastest.  That's a superb rider by the Bora rider. 

Geraint Thomas is also on the turbo, warming up for his time trial ride. 

Magnus Sheffield is on the climb to Perugia. We understand that he is also using the Classified 'front derailleur killer' hub at the Giro d'Italia.

Filippo Ganna uses Classified 'front derailleur killer' hub for Giro d'Italia time trial

Pogacar is warming up in the two-tone skinsuit made by race jersey sponsor Castelli. 

After much debate, warnings of disqualification and kit changes for Pogacar, the UCI ruled that the pink and purple (or maroon, or 'granata') shorts combo is allowed.

This was our story that revealed full details of the skinsuit colour polemica.

Jury threatens Tadej Pogačar with Giro d’Italia disqualification over Castelli two-tone maglia rosa skinsuit with purple shorts

The USA's Will Barta (Movistar) finishes 2:40 down on Ganna but in seventh place. 

Meanwhile Tadej Pogacar is warming up in the shade of the UAE team truck. 

He will be off in about 45 minutes.  

Luke Plapp is off and starts his 40.6km TT. He could climb further up the GC today and even move into the top five. 

It will also be interesting to see how Luke Plapp performs. 

He went deep while on the attack during stage 6 but is a superb time trialist and can also handle the final climb well. 

Can anyone beat Ganna's time of 52:01. Perhaps only one rider and he is off last today and will race in the pink jersey.

He is now slumped on the steps of the podium as he tries to recover.

Ganna went so deep and so hard that team staff are holding him up on his bike.

Ganna finishes and sets a time of  52:01. He is 1:39 faster than Bjerg. 

Who can beat that? 

Ganna has a new marginal gain for the TT and we can reveal it. 

Click below for the story.

There is a special reason why Ganna can change gear so often and so quickly, while using a single front chain ring. 

Ganna opts for a low gear for a steep section up to the edge of Perugia. 

Ganna is like a metronome as he powers on the pedals. 

The climb to Perugia is a brutal way to end a time trial. 

Ganna is powering up the climb to the finish, holding his brake levers but trying to stay aero and with a high cadence. 

Mikkel Bjerg of UAE finishes and sets the new fastest tine of 53:40. He will go into the hot seat, at least until Ganna arrives. 

Ganna reaches the second intermediate point in a time of 38:38. That is 1:19 faster than Affini. He caught a fourth rider just before. 

He now starts the climb, which will be decisive for him and his chances of victory.

Milesi is still the fastest in 53:56 and so in the hot seat. 

Ganna is trying to stay as aero as possible, keeping his head low and close to the aero bars.

15km to go for Ganna. He has caught and passed a third rider, Vadim Pronskiy of Astana Qazaqstan.    

Ganna sets a time of 21:15 at the first intermediate time split, 24 faster than Cerny. 

He is flying.

Ganna dives through a sweeping curve and his wheel jumps slightly. He's taking risks today to try to win the stage.

He dives into a series of corners corners, almost touching the barriers with his shoulders. 

Ganna is flying. He has just caught his minute-man! 

Lorenzo Milesi finishes. The Under 23 TT world champion is 20 seconds faster than Hoole. He set 53:56. Wow! 

Ganna is not happy after he hit a spectators' arm just before a turn. 

Here we go! Filippo Ganna is off! 

Affini is fast but sets a time of 54:26, just 10 seconds slower than Hoole.

The climb to the line is making a big difference on the finish times. 

The riders who set the fastest time on the flat and at the intermediate time will not be the fastest at the finish.

Daan Hoole finishes fast and sets the new best time!

Meanwhile Mikkel Bjerg starts. 

He is expected to go full gas as he chases selection for the Danish team at the Paris Olympics.

Michael Hepburn (Jayco AlUla) finishes but took it steady today, finishing more than four minutes slower than Cerny. 

Affini is on he climb to the finish and clearly suffering due to the gradient.  

But here comes Cerny and he is at lot faster. 

He sets 54:50 which will be the benchmark time for a while. 

He will be the first to warm the hot seat in the podium area.

Mullen is the first finisher in central Perugia. 

He sets a time of 55:52. 

Daan Hoole (Lidl-Trek) is fast on the flat, striaght roads. He is only three seconds slower than Cerny at the intermediate split.

Foss is off the pace after he crashed hard the other day. That is understandable. 

Fellow Italian Filippo Ganna starts in just half an hour. 

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) starts, wearing the cyclamen points jersey. 

He will surely take it a recovery day today, the climb to  the finish makes it impossible for him to target the stage victory.

Josef Cerny starts the 6km climb to the finish in Perugia. 

The first part is very step and then it rolls up into the city on twisting roads.

The intermediate checks come at 18.6km and 34km before the flat run-out turns into an ascent to the finish line.

Josef Cerny is fastest at the 18.6Km check. He sets 21:39, that's 36 seconds faster than Mullen.   

Ouch! 

Tobias Lund Andresen (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) crashes on a corner. He seemed to slip out on an a dusty crossing as he rode on the white road markings. 

Former world TT champion Tobias Foss (Ineos Grenadiers) sets off. 

Will he be a contender today? He perhaps has the power, aerodynamics and climbing ability to do a good ride.

Performance, aerodynamics and optimisation are everything in time trials. 

Before today's TT, Ben Norbury took a deep dive into calculating pacing strategy, bike swap strategy, energy expenditure and more for the Giro TT. 

Click below for this detail and fascinating feature. 

The math behind a time trial: A nerdy preview of the Giro d'Italia stage 7 time trial

Edoardo Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike) starts his TT and he is wearing the Giro Aerohead II time trial helmet.

In recent weeks, other helmet brands have also created bigger and wider aero TT helmets. 

The riders are looking more and more like Darth Vader. 

After Team Visma-Lease a Bike unveiled of the  Giro Aerohead II time trial helmet , the UCI issued a statement, announcing it will carry out an "in-depth analysis" of its rules governing time trial helmet design. 

They also banned the Specialized's 'Head Sock' which features inside the TT5 helmet , first shown at the 2022 Tour de France and used regularly by sponsored riders since.

Remember the Giro Aerohead II time trial helmet? It emerged at Tirreno-Adriatico and caused a lot of debate. 

Just when we thought TT helmets couldn't get any weirder: Giro leaves us speechless

Next off is Tim van Dijke (Visma-Lease a Bike) but he is not using the Giro Aerohead II time trial helmet.

For a full preview of the time trial and for what it will mean for the GC battle, read Barry Ryan's excellent preview feature. 

'It's a bloody hard climb' – Pogačar and Thomas face key battle in Giro d'Italia's two-part time trial - stage 7 preview

The climb to Perugia makes it a difficult time trial for the big pure time trialist like Ganna, Cerny, Edoardo Affini, Mikkel Bjerg, who may also have to save himself for the his roel as a key domestique for Pogačar.

Josef Cerny (Soudal Quick Step) is also off and likely to do a good ride.

The race for the general classification will be among the later starters, with Luke Plapp (Team Jayco AlUla) set to go at 15:42.

Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) is off at 15:42, and Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike) at 16:15.

The top three in the  overall classification  will then head down the ramp, with Daniel Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe) at 16:18, Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadies) at 16:21, and maglia rosa Pogačar at 16:24.

Ryan Mullen (Bora-Hansgrohe) is second off. The Irish national champion could set the early fastest time today. 

The event offers an opportunity for the time trial specialists, despite the rolling six kilometre climb up to the finish in central Perugia. 

Tobias Foss (Ineos Grenadiers) taking off at 13:41, Mikkel Berg (UAE Team Emirates) set to start at 14:24, and all eyes on  Filippo Ganna  (Ineos Grenadiers) at 14:37. 

Bip, bip, bip, bip beep! 

Julius van den Berg (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) is and out on the road.

165 riders are still in the Giro and click below to see their start times today. 

Giro d'Italia 2024 - Stage 7 time trial start times

Julius van den Berg (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) is the first off at 1:10pm and he is already on the tart ramp. 

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) is the last rider off at 16:24.

Already drawing attention from the ground is a brand new time trial helmet being sported by Ineos Grenadiers riders. We can't help wondering about the UCI compliance...

A post shared by La Bicicleta News (@labicicletanews) A photo posted by on

We're set for a dramatic day against the clock - likely to reset the order at the top of the race. The action will kick off shortly at 13:10 CET with Julius van den Berg off first. Check out the full start list from stage 7 of the Giro d'Italia .

Buongiorno and welcome to Cyclingnews ' live coverage of stage 7 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia!

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