After two days in the yellow jersey, an injured Torstein Træen has had to leave the Tour de France.
Even though he made it over the stage 6 finish line, after crashing on the descent of the Col du Tourmalet, his team revealed late on Thursday that the consequences of the fall will prevent him from lining up for stage 7.
"Torstein passed the roadside concussion assessment after the crash and was able to continue to the finish in Gavarnie-Gèdre. However, following further assessment by the Uno-X Mobility medical staff, analysis of the data from his helmet sensor and x-rays in the medical truck, he has been diagnosed with a concussion and multiple rib fractures," said his Uno-X Mobility team in a media release.
The Norwegian had moved into the lead, with a healthy margin in the stage 4 breakaway and entered the first mountain stage of this year's Tour de France with a 28 second gap to his nearest rival, Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost) and 7:53 to Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who took the yellow jersey with a dominant performance on stage 6.
There had been an expectation before the day of racing started that Træen may be able to continue in yellow through the mountain stage and into the second week, though he had been expected to hand over the jersey once the GC race truly flared. Pogačar, however, decided to stamp his authority on the Grand Tour early and even before the crash Træen had shed time from the lower slopes of the Tourmalet.
The rider in yellow was being piloted by a teammate on the descent when the crash occurred. He fell heavily after a touch of wheels and, after sitting on the road and receiving a medical check before resuming, Træen finished the day of racing in 51st place, nearly half an hour behind stage winner Pogačar, and with the dust and tears of the fall marring one of cycling's most treasured jerseys.
“This is really not the ending we wanted for this yellow adventure,” said team general manager Thor Hushovd.
“Torstein has given the team a historic moment, and what he and the whole team have achieved these past days is something we will always be proud of. But after the further checks this evening, it was clear that he could not continue."
Træen, who also wore the red jersey at the 2025 Vuelta a España for four stages in 2025, is just the third Norwegian rider to have ever pulled on the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, with Hushovd and Alexander Kristoff the others. So, despite not finishing his second Tour de France, Træen will be walking away with plenty of good memories to look back on, having adding another chapter to his nation's history at the race and also having delivered his team its first ever days in yellow at the Tour de France.
"It is of course disappointing to leave the race like this, but now the most important thing is that Torstein gets the care and recovery he needs," said Hushovd.
The world’s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! Find out more.
