July 19, 2010; Bagneres de Luchon, FRANCE; A general view of the peloton during stage fifteen of the 2010 Tour de France between Pamiers to Bagneres de Luchon. Mandatory Credit: Herman Seidl/GEPA via Imagn Images GEPA/Imagn Images

Tour de France Superstar Forced to Leave Race After Dangerous Crash

Originally posted on Outdoors on SI | By Maria Aldrich | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 8:00 PM ET

The celebrated Tour de France embarked on its 2025 journey on July 5. Notable names from around the world are now side by side as they embark on a three-week-long competition together. Stage 1 and 2 came to an end with spectacular performances, but things went awry during Stage 3 after one of the promising faces had to leave the race. One of those performances came from 27-year-old Jasper Philipsen of Belgium, who just suffered a race-ending injury.

Philipsen Leaves Tour de France Following Brutal Crash

While moving his way through Stage 3 of the race toward the finish line, Philipsen faced a gruesome accident that resulted in his departure. Crew members flooded the scene to assess the situation, but Philipsen was deemed unable to continue in the race.

The incident occurred after 33-year-old French cyclist Bryan Coquard accidentally collided with Philipsen. Per Tom Davidson of Cycling Weekly, Coquard stated:

"It was a bad day. Making the green jersey abandon doesn't make you feel good. I've reviewed the replays a bit; for now, I'm not entirely sure what happened. It seemed that [Jonathan] Milan launched his sprint, and my front wheel touched his derailleur, or maybe it was [Intermarché-Wanty's Laurenz] Rex that knocked me off balance. I don't know what happened."

Coquard, visibly emotional, continued to say, "I was clearly knocked off balance. My foot came off the pedal, and I almost lost my shoe. I apologize — even if it wasn't deliberate — I apologize to Philipsen and Alpecin[-Deceuninck]. I'm not a bad guy."

The devastating crash comes shortly after Philipsen dominated Stage 1 and came in first place. Now, having withdrawn, fellow Belgian cyclist Tim Merlier took the lead in Stage 3, just ahead of Jonathan Milan of Italy.

As reported by Vincent Daheron of Reuters, Philipsen's team stated that he suffered a "displaced fracture of the right collarbone, " and surgery will definitely be required. At least one broken rib, possibly two. He will be, as soon as possible, transferred to the hospital in Herentals, where he will undergo surgery."

The Tour de France is supposed to be a career pinnacle, but Philipsen and Coquard are now left in shambles after the heartbreaking collision. The race will continue to the next stage in the absence of Philipsen.

This article first appeared on Outdoors on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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