Filippo Ganna has become the first rider to abandon the 2025 Tour de France after a mid-stage crash during the opening stage to Lille. The Italian hit the deck hard at a road narrowing around 130km from the finish, briefly sat motionless on the tarmac, and underwent a lengthy roadside medical check before continuing. Despite mounting a fresh bike and attempting to race on with a visibly grazed back, the Ineos Grenadiers rider was never comfortable again.
He clawed his way back to the bunch once the crosswind threat subsided, but was dropped for good on the slopes of the Kasselberg. At 70km to go, Ganna abandoned the race, not even making it to the finish line of stage 1. It’s a major setback for Ineos, who had been hoping to target the time trial later in the week with the reigning Italian TT champion and former Hour Record holder.
Not long afterwards, Stefan Bissegger also left the race following a separate incident. The Swiss rider from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale was involved in a crash shortly after Ganna’s, and although he initially carried on, he too stepped off the bike with around 50km remaining.
The second half of the stage was littered with incidents, with crosswinds, cobbles and repeated accelerations causing splits and stress throughout the peloton. Among the many caught up in the chaos were Simon Yates, Lenny Martínez, Eddie Dunbar and Thymen Arensman. Yates required a bike change and a long chase to get back into contention, while Martínez looked visibly uncomfortable as the race approached its final hour.
Bizarre crash over King of the Mountain points at Mont Cassel
In one of the more bizarre crashes of the day, breakaway duo Benjamin Thomas and Mattia Vercher collided just after cresting the Mont Cassel climb. Thomas appeared to lose grip on the cobbles after sprinting for the KoM points and brought down Vercher in the process.
Stage 1 began with a steady tempo, but once the wind picked up and the race hit the first climbs, things quickly turned treacherous. The full list of riders injured or struggling is still to be confirmed, but for Ganna and Bissegger, the Tour is already over.
Main photo credit: Getty
