Tour de France: Julian Alaphilippe mistakenly celebrates stage win after dislocating shoulder

Julian Alaphilippe endured a chaotic, emotional stage 15 of the Tour de France overnight, crashing early, soldiering on with a dislocated shoulder, and then mistakenly celebrating what he thought was a stage win – before discovering he had been beaten by two riders.

The Tudor Pro rider hit the deck in the opening kilometres, suffering pain and a shoulder injury that cast doubt over whether he would even finish the day.

“He had a crash at the beginning of the race,” said team sports director Raphael Meyer. “He had pain and a dislocated shoulder. He was seen by the doctor and he still has some pain. He’s going to do X-rays.”

But the Frenchman fought on, eventually crossing the line – arms raised in triumph – believing he had pulled off an emotional comeback victory.

He had not.

Unbeknownst to Alaphilippe, Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) had already powered away from the breakaway group earlier and claimed a convincing solo win.

Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike) had also slipped away and crossed the line nine seconds ahead of Alaphilippe.

“He thought he was first on the line – but the radio didn’t work,” Meyer said.

However, despite the initial disappointment, Alaphilippe was able to see the funny side afterwards.

“The radio stopped working after the crash, so like an idiot I went for the sprint trying to win,” he said.

For Wellens, the victory marked a brutal show of strength, and another chapter in the dominance of leader Tadej Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates, as they continue to exert near-total control over the race.

For Alaphilippe, it was a bitter-sweet finish – a gritty ride, a brave comeback, and a win that wasn’t.

It was not the first time such misfortune happened to Alaphilippe.

In 2020, he raised his arms in celebration before the finish at the Liege-Bastogne-Liege Monument classic, only to see Slovenian Primoz Roglic beating him to the line.

The Frenchman was then disqualified for deviating from his sprint line.