Tour de France riders prepare for a number of challenges ahead of the multi-stage race, but none were ready for a sign-waving spectator to step a little too far into the road.
On Saturday, during the first stage of the lengthy race, a fan wearing a yellow jacket and holding a homemade cardboard sign caused a massive, dangerous pile-up of cyclers. Per AFP, German rider Tony Martin collided with the woman’s sign, which was extended far into the road. As footage from the race clearly captured, Martin lost balance, tumbled to the ground on his bike, and his fall set off a horrible chain of cycling accidents in his path.
Video footage and photos capture just how massive and catastrophic the fan-caused crash was, and they show the heartbreaking aftermath of cyclers recovering on the sidelines and struggling to move past the pile-up.
Though several cyclers and spectators were injured as a result of the crash, only one rider — DSM’s German rider Jasha Sutterlin — had to pull out of the race, per AFP. The woman who caused the crash reportedly fled the scene and has yet to be identified, however, the Tour de France plans to sue her for her reckless behavior.
“We are suing this woman who behaved so badly,” Tour deputy director Pierre-Yves Thouault told AFP.
“We are doing this so that the tiny minority of people who do this don’t spoil the show for everyone.”
