An oblivious fan posing for the cameras caused a bloody crash Saturday that plunged the first stage of the Tour de France — won by Julian Alaphilippe — into chaos. With one foot on...
An oblivious fan posing for the cameras caused a bloody crash Saturday that plunged the first stage of the Tour de France — won by Julian Alaphilippe — into chaos.
With one foot on the road and a cardboard sign encouraging riders to “Go!” hanging onto the course, the spectator’s head was turned in the opposite direction of the cyclists when all hell broke loose.
GREAT TO SEE SPECTATORS BACK INVOLVED IN SPORTS EH pic.twitter.com/Kwxj8be2Qh
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) June 26, 2021
Veteran rider Tony Martin crashed into the sign and tumbled to the ground, leading dozens of others behind the accident into a pile-up involving half of the riders.
Multiple bikes were damaged as a result of the crash but the injury toll to riders wasn’t immediately clear.
A bloodied Martin returned to the action but Jasha Sutterlin of Germany reportedly withdrew because of the crash.
The Tour cautioned fans to “respect the safety of the riders” and “Don’t risk everything for a photo or to get on television!”
A second pileup involved dozens of competitors — including four-time Tour champion Chris Froome — riding at full speed near the finish.
Alaphilippe became the third French world champion to take the yellow jersey on the opening day of the race after Georges Speicher in 1934 and Bernard Hinault in 1981.
— With AP
This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Ryan Dunleavy
