Take2 weeks ago
Bouchard's farewell tour ends in the same injury that started it
Geoffrey Bouchard crashed on stage 1 of Le Tour de Langkawi 2026 on September 27, breaking his collarbone and suffering facial lacerations, and did not start stage 2. It is the same type of fracture — a broken collarbone — sustained on the same Giro d'Italia descent as Mikel Landa in May 2025, that had already led him to retire once before. Team TotalEnergies, the defending champions, lose him for the mountains classification and promote Mathis Le Berre in his place.
What this means
Team TotalEnergies has already promoted Mathis Le Berre to replace Bouchard in the mountains classification effort.
Bouchard retired in October 2025 after seven years with AG2R La Mondiale and a season of just 35 race days without a win, then signed with Team TotalEnergies a month later for what was framed as a career lifeline. Bouchard was listed as a mountain classification contender for Langkawi, having won that classification at the 2021 Giro d'Italia and 2019 Vuelta a España, and before the race he said he was "happy to do a last journey to finish my career differently". Instead the race repeated the exact injury, a broken collarbone, that had already ended his career once. Team TotalEnergies now pursue the mountains classification with Mathis Le Berre instead of Bouchard.
Sources
Geoffrey Bouchard's rewrite of professional cycling farewell goes off script as he leaves Le Tour de Langkawi with broken collarbone | Cyclingnews'A story I'll remember for a long time' – One month after retiring, French rider handed career lifeline in surprise move to TotalEnergiesMatteo Malucelli reasserts Le Tour de Langkawi sprint power with stage 1 victory in photo finish ahead of Riley PickrellGeoffrey Bouchard's pro farewell goes off script at Le Tour de Langkawi2026 Tour de Langkawi - Wikipedia
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