A fan taking a selfie set off a massive crash at stage 15 of the Tour de France on Sunday.Photo:NBC Sports/YouTube
NBC Sports/YouTube
A sideline selfie had catastrophic consequences at theTour de Franceon Sunday.
A spectator trying to take a photo at Stage 15 of the world-famous cycling event inadvertently knocked the handlebars of rider Sepp Kuss of Team Jumbo-Visma, setting off a large crash.
“There was a narrowing in the town and a spectator in the road, and I guess he just clipped my handlebars,” Kuss told the outlet. “Luckily I’m OK and hopefully the other guys in the crash are all right. It’s not ideal.”
Kuss attributed the unfortunate incident and his inability to react quickly enough to avoid crashing to fatigue. “It’s been such a hard race and everybody is a bit tired. You lose a bit of alertness and there’s always things out of your control as well,” he explained.
A spectator taking a selfie on the sidelines of the Tour de France made contact with rider Sepp Kuss' bike.NBC Sports/YouTube
Several teams tweeted similar requests to fans. “Please be always aware when watching cycling at the side of the road,” Team Jumbo-Vismaposted.
“If you are spectating at this amazing event, please give the riders room to race,“INEOS Grenadiers said.
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Sunday’s crash was the biggest sincean incident at the 2021 Tour, when a young woman holding a sign with a message in German for her grandparents caused cyclist Tony Martin to lose control of his bike, leading to a massive pileup. Two riders were pulled from the event and eight others were treated for various injuries. It took approximately 25 kilometers (more than 15 miles) for the peloton to fully regroup.
The woman was arrested the next day after she presented herself to a police station in Landerneau, an area in Brittany, France, where the tour held its first four stages.
The woman was ordered to pay a symbolic fine of one euro, per the BBC.
“We just want people to take care when they come to the Tour and remember they are there to see the champions — and not to get on television,” Tour director Christian Prudhomme said.
Tour competitors have become increasingly concerned about spectators seeking to be close to the road action. In June, the sport’s world governing body, UCI, rolled out its new SafeR initiative,a broad range of safety measuresincluding management of crowds.
source: people.com
