Picture Credit: Twitter
The first stage of this year's Tour de France witnessed something extremely extraordinary as a fan hogged all the limelight for causing a horrendous crash in the race. The incident happened at the 45km mark when a woman, who was holding a signboard, got carried away and crossed the permissible limits on the road with her focus on the camera.
Unfortunately, German rider Tony Martin had no space to go by as he collided with the signboard (held by a woman in a yellow jacket) and fell down with all the other riders behind him also falling behind him like a pack of cards. It was a very scary sight for the viewers as the race had to be held up for five minutes.
Watch the video here:
Legal action to be taken against the woman
While the race of a lot of riders was affected due to the incident, German rider Jasha Sutterlin had to pull out of the race. Several people also suffered minor injuries, including riders and spectators. Although the woman in question had reportedly ran away from the scene after the incident, the tournament organizers have assured that strict legal action will be taken against the careless fan.
Reflecting on the incident, Tour deputy director Pierre-Yves Thouault told AFP, "We are suing this woman who behaved so badly. We are doing this so that the tiny minority of people who do this don't spoil the show for everyone."
To avoid any such incidents in future, an official Tour statement was also released which stated, "We’re glad to have the public on the side of the road on the #TDF2021. But for the Tour to be a success, respect the safety of the riders! Don’t risk everything for a photo or to get on television!"
In a race that was full of drama, French rider Julian Alaphilippe eventually emerged as the winner of Stage 1.