VOIRON, France, July 22 (Reuters) - Jonas Vingegaard has undergone successful surgery for a fractured collarbone after a crash in stage 15 forced him to withdraw from the Tour de France, his team Visma-Lease a Bike's sports director Marc Reef said on Wednesday.
• The winner of two previous Tours, Vingegaard went down with three other riders coming around a tight corner about 20km from the finish on Sunday. After abandoning the race he was taken to an ambulance.
• Vingegaard, who was second in the overall standings behind Tadej Pogacar when he withdrew, underwent surgery in his home country of Denmark, Reef told TV2 Sport.
• “It went well. They did what they had to. It wasn't the most complicated operation you can have,” he said.
• The 29-year-old won the Giro d'Italia this year and he was seen as the biggest threat to Pogacar's quest for a fifth Tour de France title. Vingegaard won back to back Tours de France in 2022 and 2023.
• The Slovenian has a lead of four minutes and 32 seconds over second-placed Remco Evenepoel going into stage 17 on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Vincent Daheron; Writing by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
