
Reuters
An oblivious fan seemingly trying to take a selfie caused a massive crash at the Tour de France on Sunday, extending their arm/phone and making contact with a competitor, wiping out over a dozen riders!
It all happened about 30 miles into the 15th stage (there are a total of 21 stages) of the world’s most prestigious cycling event, when the fan hit American rider Sepp Kuss, sending him careening to the ground. Then, cyclists behind Kuss fell when they ran into him/his bike.
Tour de France spectator causes a huge crash in the peloton!#TDF2023 đș: Peacock pic.twitter.com/USu6eUO0o1
â NBC Sports Cycling (@NBCSCycling) July 16, 2023
@NBCSCycling
Thankfully, none of the cyclists appeared to suffer serious injury — just bumps and bruises.
Sepp talked to Cycling News about the accident, saying … “There was a spectator leaning into the road, I guess. It just happened suddenly, and thatâs part of the Tour, there are a lot of people. Ideally, that wouldnât happen, but itâs the biggest bike race in the world and a lot of people donât know exactly whatâs going on.”
The U.S. rider added … “unfortunately, somebody wanted to get a selfie. I didnât really see it coming.”
After the stage, which Wout Poels won, a number of different riders and teams cautioned fans … don’t interfere.
“Iâd like to tell the spectators to enjoy the race and be there to cheer for us without standing on the road or pouring beers on us,” Jonas Vingegaard, the overall race leader told reporters.
âPlease be careful, so that the party remains a party for the racers but equally for you. You donât need a phone to create mind-blowing memories,â Team Confidis tweeted.
PremiÚre étape du Tour de France, premier crash, premier partisan à blùmer pic.twitter.com/6i3yhBtwv7
â Julien Lamoureux (@julienlamoureux) June 26, 2021
@julienlamoureux
It’s reminiscent of 2021 … when a fan, like this weekend’s incident, caused a massive pileup after their sign made contact with a rider.
Pay attention!!!
