Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), the clear favorite to win the Tour de France, fortunately escaped unharmed from a nasty crash 4.1 km from the finish line of stage 11 in Toulouse. The Slovenian rider lost no time in the standings thanks to the fair play of his rivals, who waited for his return.

Despite falling violently to the ground and suffering some abrasions on his arm, both the rider and the UAE team confirmed that he did not suffer any serious consequences.

"I'm pretty good, just a little bruised," Pogačar said after boarding the team bus. Team manager Mauro Gianetti commented: "A crash always causes concern, but fortunately, even though it happened at high speed, it didn't cause any serious injuries."

The accident occurred when Pogačar touched the wheel of Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) as the peloton was moving to the right on a wide road. The Norwegian immediately apologized to the Slovenian champion, explaining that it was an unavoidable racing incident.

Despite the crash occurring outside the 3km safety zone, Pogačar wasted no time thanks to the sportsmanship of the peloton, which slowed to allow him to rejoin. A gesture of fair play, led in particular by EF Education-EasyPost and yellow jersey rider Ben Healy.

"A big thank you to the group that waited for me. The race was practically over, but they could have gained some time. Huge respect to everyone," said a grateful Pogačar, who now has to recover as best he can for tomorrow's crucial stage, finishing on Hautacam.