12 July 1971 – Luis Ocana’s crash on Col de Menté

Luis Ocaña took a commanding lead in the 1971 Tour de France, but a crash in the Pyrenees forced his withdrawal. Eddy Merckx inherited the yellow jersey but declined to wear it out of respect.

Luis Ocaña was considered one of the main favourites for the 1971 Tour de France. His status was confirmed after a dominant performance on Stage 11 to Orcières-Merlette, where he gained a significant time advantage over his rivals. Following that stage, he became the clear leader of the race. Ocaña wore the yellow jersey with a lead of over eight minutes on Joop Zoetemelk and more than nine minutes on the defending champion, Eddy Merckx.

Stage 14 marked the first major mountain stage in the Pyrenees. The route included three major climbs: the Port d'Aspet, the Col de Menté, and the Col du Portillon. During the climb of the Port d'Aspet, Spanish rider José Manuel Fuente broke away from a leading group and continued solo.

In the group of general classification contenders, Merckx attacked several times in an attempt to regain time, but Ocaña responded to each move and maintained control of the race.

However, weather conditions worsened on the Col de Menté. Rain made the descent particularly dangerous, and several riders crashed. Ocaña was involved in the most serious incident—he crashed heavily on the descent and was subsequently hit by another rider while trying to get up. As a result of his injuries, Ocaña was unable to continue and had to abandon the race.

With Ocaña out, Eddy Merckx became the new leader of the general classification. Out of respect for Ocaña and the way the jersey changed hands, Merckx chose not to wear the yellow jersey during the podium ceremony that day or on the following stage.