A fan who caused a massive crash at the Tour de France with a sign greeting her grandparents on Saturday is nowhere to be found as race officials intend to file a lawsuit.
Pierre-Yves Thouault, the tour’s deputy director, told AFP on Saturday that race organizers will sue the woman so "the tiny minority of people who do this don’t spoil the show for everyone." Ouest-France reported that day that the woman, whom the outlet speculated was likely German, fled the country by plane.
The spectator held her sign out into the course for TV cameras during Stage 1 of the race in Brittany, France as cyclists approached. Tony Martin crashed into it within seconds, falling and leading to dozens of riders also tripping in the process.
"I saw the lady, I saw the sign but there was no time to react," Martin said (via Deutsche Welle). "I still can't understand how people can do things like that. We're here to race our bikes – it's not a circus."
The woman’s sign read, "Allez Opi-Omi." "Allez" is French for "go," whereas "opi" and "omi" are informal German terms for "grandpa" and "grandma."
Jasha Sütterlin, a German cyclist, pulled out of the 21-stage race after sustaining a contusion on his right wrist in the crash. Three other riders ultimately withdrew following a second crash later in the stage.