Evenepoel wins stage 15 as Vingegaard crashes out of Tour de France

Belgian Remco Evenepoel won the 15th stage of the Tour de France on Sunday, beating overall leader Tadej Pogacar to the finish line. The victory came as two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard was forced to abandon the race following a crash. Vingegaard, who won the Tour in 2022 and 2023 and was second in the overall standings before the stage, crashed during the route and is expected to miss the remainder of the race. The extent of his injuries was not immediately clear. Evenepoel's stage win was his first of this year's Tour. The stage took the riders through mountainous terrain before a sprint finish. With Vingegaard out, the battle for the general classification now narrows. Pogacar retains the yellow jersey, while other contenders aim to close the gap in the remaining stages. The Tour continues Monday with stage 16, a flat route favoring sprinters.