Medical reports & withdrawals: Tour Down Under 2026, Stage 5 - A kangaroo-induced crash takes out several riders
The 2026 Tour Down Under, a high-stakes stage race, saw a number of riders forced to withdraw due to crashes, injuries, and racing incidents. Keep track of all the action and withdrawals here!
Prologue
No incidents to report.
Stage 1
An early crash involving Jardi Christiaan van der Lee, Oliver Stockwell, Pietro Mattio, and Michael Leonard set the tone for the race. Max van der Meulen and Marius Mayrhofer also crashed, with Mayrhofer diagnosed with fractures to his right collarbone, shoulder blade, and ribs. Tudor commented, "Marius will return to Europe for rehabilitation, starting with physiotherapy. It's not the start I wanted, but I'm staying positive."
Stage 2 & 3
Lennert van Eetvelt and Jonas Rutsch, both from Intermarché - Lotto, were involved in a crash on Stage 2 and did not start Stage 3 due to their injuries.
Stage 3 Crash
A final-kilometer crash involved Liam Walsh, Adam Yates, Ivo Oliveira, James Knox, Casper van Uden, Jefferson Alxander Cepeda, Andreas Kron, and Anders Skaarseth.
Stage 4
UAE Team Emirates - XRG suffered double blows on Stage 4, as Jhonatan Narváez (second in the overall classification) and Vegard Stake Laengen crashed. Narváez was taken to the hospital for spinal and neurological assessments, with stable thoracic vertebrae compression fractures. Laengen, with a suspected rib injury, was also hospitalized but is stable.
The stage saw many withdrawals due to crashes and extreme heat. Groupama's Rémi Cavagna and Kevin Geniets, NSN's Corbin Strong and Jake Stewart, Antoine l'Hote, Danny van Poppel, Liam Walsh, and Jardi van der Lee all withdrew.
Stage 5: A Kangaroo-induced Crash
Michael Gogl did not start Stage 5, and the withdrawals were significant. Mikkel Bjerg and Menno Huising notably abandoned after crashing into a kangaroo. Other riders who didn't finish the stage included Titouan Fontaine, Juan Sebastián Molano, Alberto Dainese, Casper van Uden, Stan Fredheim, Lucas Stevenson, Albert Torres, Max Walker, and Maikel Zijlaard.
