Pogacar's Pre-Race Collision: A Close Call at Tour de France

Tour de France leader Tadej Pogacar narrowly avoided injury after accidentally colliding with the team car of rival Jonas Vingegaard before the 18th stage. The Slovenian cyclist, who holds a lead of over four minutes, brushed off the incident, saying he's unharmed and ready to proceed.

In a dramatic start to the 18th stage of the Tour de France, overall leader Tadej Pogacar experienced an unnerving incident when he collided with the team car of his main rival, Jonas Vingegaard. The mishap occurred during the pre-race commute from Vif to the Col de la Loze, a challenging mountain stretch.

According to Pogacar, the Slovenian was tailing the Visma-Lease a Bike car too closely when it unexpectedly stopped, resulting in the collision. "I don't know if he wanted to brake-check me, but I wasn't prepared for it," Pogacar recounted with a smile. Despite the scare, the cyclist assured he is in good spirits and unscathed.

The incident left onlookers puzzled as to why the sudden halt occurred, with Pogacar maintaining his composure as he leads Danish contender Vingegaard by 4 minutes and 15 seconds. As the race progresses into the mountainous terrain, spectators remain on edge for further developments.

(With inputs from agencies.)