Last Updated on June 26, 2021 by CCAR Staff
A fan holding a sign on a tight roadway stretch on the Tour de France opening stage caused a giant pileup Saturday.
The woman, who was standing on the side of the road holding a cardboard sign reading “Allez Opi-Omi,” was looking at the TV cameras and not the approaching cyclists.
German rider Tony Martin collided with her sign and crashed, starting a chain reaction for the peloton. Martin’s crash took out his entire Jumbo Visma team, including 2020 Tour de France runnerup Primoz Roglic.
Huge crash on stage 1 of Le Tour de France today.
— MUHQ News (@MUHQNews) June 26, 2021
The bloodied Martin, a five-time stage winner, got up and was given a replacement bike by his team.
Another crash occurred near the finish involving dozens of competitors riding at full speed.
World champion Julian Alaphilippe won the crash-marred opening stage to snatch the race leader’s yellow jersey. Alaphilippe surged ahead of the main pack in the final steep climb leading to the finish in Landerneau.
The worst Tour de France crash I've ever seen pic.twitter.com/1jngQE1pYg
— daniel (@cyclingreporter) June 26, 2021
