Only a few kilometers remain to crown Alpe d’Huez. The fans, who have been on the shoulder for several hours, even days camping under the stars waiting for the Tour de France peloton, crowd onto the asphalt and with flags, phones, and banners, increasingly narrow the human corridor through which Tadej Pogacar chases the head of the 19th stage under the sun, to the sound of horns and incessant shouting.
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Following the Slovenian, in this order, are a French television motorcycle, an organization car, and a vehicle from his team, UAE. The elbowing and pushing to get a close look at the best cyclist on the planet end with a fan losing balance and falling onto the asphalt just in front of the Emirati team’s car, which stops dead to avoid hitting him.
The sudden braking is accompanied by a dry, loud thud that silences the general fervor. It’s Einer Rubio, a Colombian cyclist from Movistar, who, caught by Pogacar after 129 kilometers and several hours in the day’s breakaway, was twisting and turning on the magical mountain of the Alps in search of the best possible result for his team.
📹 | Einer Rubio says goodbye to the Tour de France after colliding with the UAE car. He hit the rear window of the vehicle after a sudden stop on the ascent to Alpe d’Huez. Although serious injuries are ruled out, the rider has suffered several cuts https://t.co/PPc5Z3F7wi pic.twitter.com/4LLq4jUMsn
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Rubio’s face hits the back of the UAE vehicle and shatters the window into a thousand pieces. The fans then put their hands to their heads. No one can believe the accident they have just witnessed. The Colombian lets go of the handlebars and, guided by inertia, covers his face, a crumpled mess on the asphalt. When the race’s medical personnel arrive, the Movistar jersey, sky blue, is already covered in blood.
After 19 days of racing and more than 3000 kilometers in his legs, Rubio is forced to abandon the Tour de France with only two days left to reach Paris. The Movistar team assures this newspaper that despite the harshness of the images, the Colombian climber, stage winner in the 2023 Giro d’Italia, only suffers superficial cuts, but rules out any serious injury.
