Pogacar crashes as anti-Israel protester disrupt Tour de France stage finale

TOULOUSE, France: Defending champion Tadej Pogacar suffered a crash on the 11th stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday, moments before a protester disrupted the sprint finish where Norway’s Jonas Abrahamsen claimed his first Tour stage victory.

Slovenian Pogacar went down about five kilometres from the line after touching wheels with another rider but quickly remounted and the peloton eased off to allow the overall race favourite to rejoin.

Pogacar thanked the group after crossing the finish line apparently unhurt and without losing time.

“I’m quite okay, a bit beaten up, but we’ve been through worse days, so it’s been a hectic day actually from start to finish,” the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader told reporters.

“In the end, I had a little bit of a crash, and thanks to the peloton in front, they actually waited, obviously the race was more or less over back there, but still, they could have taken time. “Really big respect to everybody in front. Thanks for your support, guys.”

Ireland’s Ben Healy, who retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey, explained that he had a brief chat with two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard, seen as Pogacar’s main rival for the title, and both agreed they should wait for the Slovenian.

As the stage reached its dramatic conclusion, a protester wearing a T-shirt reading “Israel out of the Tour” and waving a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf ran onto the final straight, just 50 metres from the line.

He was swiftly tackled by a security officer as Abrahamsen edged out Swiss national champion Mauro Schmid in a two-man sprint for the win.

“I broke my collarbone four weeks ago. I cried at the hospital because I thought I wouldn’t make it to the Tour de France,” Abrahamsen said. “I hoped, and every day I did everything I could to come back. To stand here in the Tour de France and have won a stage is amazing.”

Tour organisers declined to comment on the incident while the Israel-Premier Tech team — which has no Israeli riders in this year’s race — told Reuters they would issue a statement later on Wednesday.

The protest came amid rising tensions over Israel’s military operations in Gaza, where more than 58,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, according to Gaza health authorities.

Almost 1,650 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed as a result of the conflict, including 1,200 killed in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, by Israeli tallies.
Sources with a direct knowledge of the matter have told Reuters that other protests are planned on the Tour route.

The day began at a blistering pace, with a five-man breakaway quickly forming ahead of a second group featuring classics specialists Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert.

The peloton eventually backed off, allowing the front of the race to shape the outcome. On the punishing final climb — an 800-metre ascent averaging 12.4% — Abrahamsen and Schmid emerged at the front. Van der Poel launched a fierce pursuit but fell short.

The focus now shifts to Thursday’s stage 12, which brings the Tour’s first high-mountain showdown with a summit finish on the legendary Hautacam and all eyes will be on Pogacar the day after his crash.