A careless spectator triggered a large pileup in the early moments of the opening stage of the Tour de France on Saturday.
The streets of Brest, in the western coastal region of Brittany, were packed with overzealous fans eager to mark the beginning of the iconic annual bike race, according to the Associated Press.
The gnarly crash unfolded when the fan appeared to edge onto the paved road to flash a homemade sign in front of a network news camera mounted to a vehicle. The spectator's outstretched arms and the sign snared a cyclist, Tony Martin, who took a spill and knocked down countless others near and behind him.
The tour later cautioned the unruly fans to "respect the safety of riders" and to avoid risking injury for the sake of photos. The fans seemed extra jubilant this year, the report said, with the race back in its usual place on the sports calendar after it was delayed to September in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Later in the race, shortly before the finish, a second crash occurred, this one involving even more cyclists and looking even more dramatic, though it didn't appear any fans were involved.
Video showed at least a couple riders flipping over their handlebars. It wasn't clear what if anything caused the crash, but four-time winner Chris Froome looked shaken up.
Veteran rider and former champion Geraint Thomas said he was relieved just to have made it through the harrowing race.
“It was stressful,” the 2018 winner said. “I was just concentrating on staying on my bike basically. Happy to get through it.”
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram