Norwegian cyclist Tobias Halland Johannessen required emergency medical attention after crossing the finish line of the Tour de France's 16th stage on Tuesday afternoon. The 25-year-old competitor collapsed following completion of the gruelling mountain stage and was immediately attended to by medical personnel.
Paramedics administered oxygen to the UCI ProTeam Uno-X Mobility rider at the finish area before transporting him to hospital via ambulance. The dramatic scenes unfolded after Johannessen had battled through the demanding stage to secure a 28th-place finish.
Medical staff rushed to assist the Norwegian as he lay prostrate in the finish zone, highlighting the extreme physical toll of the mountainous route.
Team colleague Andreas Leknessund disclosed that Johannessen had been battling gastrointestinal issues throughout the stage. The cyclist's difficulties became apparent in the closing kilometres when he communicated with team management about respiratory problems.
Reuters
|Tobias Halland Johannessen was rushed to hospital after stage 16
"I don't know much. He talked to us in the last kilometers and said he was struggling to get air," Uno X sports director Stig Kristiansen told TV 2. "He was struggling a bit with stomach cramps. It's a mountain that takes its toll."
Kristiansen added that medical professionals were providing immediate care whilst he awaited further updates from personnel at the finish area.
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TV 2 expert Mads Kaggestad, present at the scene, remarked: "It shows how extremely he has pushed himself."
France's Valentin Paret-Peintre secured his nation's first stage victory of this year's Tour after overtaking Ben Healy in a dramatic finale. The 24-year-old French rider mounted a late surge to deny the Irishman, who had appeared poised for his second triumph of the competition after leading through the final corner.
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Reuters
|Valentin Paret Peintre went on to win the stage
The stage featured intense racing on the legendary Mont Ventoux ascent, where Jonas Vingegaard launched multiple attacks against race leader Tadej Pogacar. However, both riders finished together, with Pogacar's fifth-place result preserving his yellow jersey and slender two-second advantage in the general classification.
The demanding mountain stage extracted a heavy price from numerous competitors, with several riders visibly struggling to complete the punishing route.
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Despite the day's ordeal, Johannessen maintains eighth position in the overall standings, though Felix Gall extended his advantage to two minutes and eleven seconds with only five stages remaining in the race.
The Norwegian rider has faced additional challenges during this Tour, including hostile reactions from spectators following an incident in stage eleven. During the closing five kilometres of that stage, Johannessen accidentally crossed in front of race leader Pogacar's wheel, causing the Slovenian to crash.
Reuters
|Tadej Pogacar also got on the podium
The Norwegian subsequently issued an apology for the unintentional collision.
Fellow riders in the general classification group demonstrated sportsmanship by allowing the three-time champion to rejoin without losing time.