Tour de France 2026 sees several riders fade into the peloton

During the 2026 Tour de France several high‑profile riders performed far below expectations and were barely noticeable in race coverage. Colombian former Catalonia winner Sergio Higuita, after early top‑20 placements, finished 38th without joining any attacks. French rider Romain Grégoire, who started strongly with a seventh‑place on Montjuïc, failed to contest any significant positions thereafter. Dutch cyclist Frank van den Broek, a repeat participant, was similarly invisible apart from brief early‑stage moves, ending the Tour with little impact. Italian Antonio Tiberi, once a Giro top‑five finisher, also fell short of his pre‑race ambitions, recording only a modest fifteenth‑place on Plateau de Solaison.

These performances highlighted a stark contrast to earlier stages of the race, where the same riders had shown promise, underscoring the unpredictable nature of the three‑week Grand Tour and the challenges of maintaining form across varied terrain.