Watch: Mikel Landa thrown off course after collision with rider on stage 10 of the Tour de France 2019

The Spaniard saw his GC ambitions go up in smoke after a crash with 19km to go

Mikel Landa after the finish of stage six of the Tour de France 2019 (Marco Bertorello/AFP/Getty Images)
(Image credit: AFP/Getty Images)

While Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) sprinted to his first Tour de France victory on stage 10, the race will likely be remembered as the day a number of GC contenders saw their chances of glory dashed, after crosswinds decimated the peloton on the run-in to Albi.

Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) and Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) were the highest-profile casualties, with Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) and Rigoberto Urán (EF Education First) also caught out as Ineos and Deceuninck - Quick-Step went full gas and splintered the peloton with 30km left to race.

>>> Wout van Aert in disbelief after beating world’s best sprinters on debut at Tour de France

However, one rider with GC ambitions who lost time on the stage at no fault of the crosswinds was Mikel Landa (Movistar), who crashed with 19km to go.

Helicopter television pictures show the front group strung out, trying to gain as much time as possible over the stragglers, when Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic) loses balance and swerves into Landa, knocking him off the road.

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The Spaniard falls into a group of spectators holding up a sign, which may have softened his fall. However, Landa's day was over as he needed a full bike chang  and didn't receive it in time to join the second bunch on the road, falling in with Giulio Ciccone's third peloton that would eventually roll across the line 2-09 down.

Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) immediately took to Twitter after the stage to rubbish rumours that it was him that caused Landa's crash. "Really sorry for what happened to Landa, but please watch again, I'm not the rider who pushed him."

Speaking after the stage, race leader Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) claimed it was French champion Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic) who caused the fall, although this has not yet been confirmed by either Landa or Barguil.

Barguil then tweeted saying he was sorry about causing the crash, explaining he hit Alaphilippe's wheel in front and then made contact with Landa who was coming up on his left. He says it was a miracle he wasn't brought down in the crash.

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Ineos' Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal, as well as Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) all finished in the front group, with Thomas now second on GC, 1-12 behind Alaphilippe.

After Tuesday's first rest day, stage 11 provides another flat day for the sprinters before the race heads uphill and the GC battle will commence.

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Hi. I'm Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor. I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.


Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).


I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.