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WATCH: Tour de France Femmes crash involving 30 riders leaves one hospitalized during Stage 5

Emma norsgaard was forced to leave the race due to head, neck and shoulder injuries.

A huge crash during Stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes on Thursday resulted in one of the race's riders needing to be hospitalized. With about 31 miles remaining in Thursday's stage of the race, there was a huge crush on a stretch of road between Bar-le-Luc and Saint-die-des-Vosges in northeastern France.

That two-person collision eventually led to 30 riders falling off their bicycles.

Stage 5 was delayed for several minutes due to the incident. Many riders suffered minor bumps and bruises, including SD Worx' Chantal van den Broek-Blaak and Italy's Marta Bastianelli. Van den Broek-Blaak was forced to have her right arm bandaged up by the Tour de France medical staff.

Daar gaat half het peloton #TDFF pic.twitter.com/druz0X9Rip — Sporza 🚴 (@sporza_koers) July 28, 2022

The biggest injury was Movistar's Emma Norsgaard, who was forced to withdraw from the stage due to her injuries. Her team  announced on Instagram that she "hit her head, neck and left shoulder into a pile-up and had to be transferred to a hospital in Épinal."

On Friday, Movistar announced that the Danish cyclist was undergoing scans  for her injuries, but hadn't been diagnosed with any fractures. She'll "remain under medical observation and rest for 24 hours, to monitor any after-effects from the incident."

When riders eventually began racing again, Team DSM's Lorena Wiebes came away victorious. The Dutch cyclist won the longest stage in modern history of women's World Tour racing, which is approximately 109 miles (175.6 kilometers).

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Massive Crash at Tour de France Femmes Injures 16 and Sends Rider to the Hospital: 'Chaotic'

Danish cyclist Emma Norsgaard withdrew from the race after the crash, which involved roughly half of the field

A massive crash during the fifth stage of the Tour de France Femmes Thursday injured 16 riders and resulted in approximately half of the field of cyclists falling off their bikes.

The riders suffered injuries that included "cuts, scrapes, abrasions and bruises," according to Cycling News .

"It was chaotic, people were screaming everywhere, and mechanics, directors and doctors came running," cyclist Magdeleine Vallieres Mill told the publication.

At least one woman, Danish cyclist Emma Norsgaard, required medical attention. She suffered trauma to her head, shoulder and cervical vertebra and was transported to the hospital for evaluation, per the outlet.

Movistar, Norsgaard's team, gave an update on Twitter Friday about her condition.

"We're happy to report @emmanorsgaard1 has no fractures following her crash on st. 5 of @LeTourFemmes #TDFF . The Danish rider will remain under medical observation and rest for 24 hours, to monitor any after-effects from the incident."

Norsgaard herself posted a reply, thanking fans in a video for their support.

"I'm OK," she said, adding that she would return home. "I only need some rest."

The accident happened on a straight road, about 31 miles (50 kilometers) from the end of the 109-mile (175 km) stage, which is one of the flattest of the Tour, according to CNN .

"This is the danger when as we were saying that riders become pretty relaxed in the bunch, you can almost be fooled into a false sense of security. If you are too relaxed then this is when … crashes can happen," a race commentator remarked in a video of the crash, posted to YouTube .

Riders and coaches agreed with the assessment.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"It was a crash, it was a slow day, a long day. Someone touches a wheel and they crash, it's like the guys, it's like the Tour de France," Trek-Segafredo head director Ina Teutenberg told Cycling News .

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Watch the huge 30-rider crash at the Tour de France Femmes

Rider after rider hits the deck in a huge wipe-out.

A massive crash at the Tour de France Femmes brought the race to a screeching halt with 30 cyclists involved in the pile-up. Canadian Magdeleine Vallieres was among the riders who who went down. Emma Norsgaard had to withdraw and 2017 world champion Chantal van den Broeck-Blaak would wear  a towel around her bleeding right elbow before the medical car got to treat her.

Vallieres discussed the crash after the stage here on FloBikes.com

Although most of the riders would get back up, it would take several kilometers for them to get back to the pack.

Lorena Wiebes would win the chaotic fifth stage , her second of the Tour.

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Watch Tour de France CHAOS as dozens of female cyclists crash and block road with rider rushed to hospital

• Anthony Chapman
• Published : 16:44, 28 Jul 2022
• Updated : 16:52, 28 Jul 2022
• Published : Invalid Date,

THIS is the shocking moment the inaugural Tour de France Femmes was engulfed in chaos as dozens of cyclists crashed in a mass pile-up.

One rider was rushed to hospital and others suffered injuries just 45km out from the finish line.

Thursday marked the fifth stage of the first-ever female Tour de France , with cyclists embarking on a 175km slog from Bar-Le-Duc to Saint-Die-Des-Vosges.

The huge day-long battle presented one last chance for riders to sprint before heading into the Vosges mountain range tomorrow.

And with the bulk of the stage out of the way, cyclists began to pedal furiously in the hopes of giving their challenge a late boost.

But disaster struck 130km in when the riders were presented with a clear straight road – just two days after another horror crash .

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Stunning video footage showed a tight cluster of cyclists racing along with their handlebars within touching distance of each other.

Suddenly, one rider was seen going down while quickly bringing others to the ground with her.

Those behind then crashed into the back of the stricken group, creating an even bigger pile-up.

And the road was soon completely blocked as medics raced to those who were in need of urgent treatment.

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Once those who were OK to continue sped off in search of the leading pack, it became clear several were hurt.

Danish star Emma Norsgaard of Movistar was rushed to hospital in an ambulance with a reported broken collarbone.

Meanwhile, Chantal van den Broek-Blaak suffered an injured right arm.

And Lotte Kopecky also received a minor injury.

One of the biggest pile-ups I've ever seen Twitter user

Earlier this month, Italian rider Daniel Oss suffered a broken NECK after crashing into a fan at the same stage.

And half the peloton was wiped out last year by a punter holding a sign.

Viewers were left equally distraught as they sent their best wishes to Norsgaard.

Once said: “This is one of the biggest pile-ups I’ve ever seen and it really doesn’t look good for Emma Norsgaard.”

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Another noted: “Emma Norsgaard abandons. Sending my best wishes (broken heart emoji).”

One added: “She looks in a lot of pain. Fingers crossed it’s not too serious.”

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Tour de France Femmes 2022: Vos wins stage six to extend GC lead – as it happened

The Dutch superstar won her second stage of the Tour on the sixth stage into Rosheim

• Read Jeremy Whittle’s stage six report from Rosheim
• 29 Jul 2022 Top 10 on General Classification after stage six
• 29 Jul 2022 Marianne Vos wins the stage!!!
• 29 Jul 2022 Liebes wins stage five as almost half the field hit the deck
• 29 Jul 2022 Top 10 on GC after stage five
• 29 Jul 2022 Saint-Dié-des-Vosges to Rosheim (128.6km)

Stage six report: The Tour de France Femmes leader, Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) won stage six of the race, from Saint-Die-Des-Vosges to Rosheim in the Alsace region, after outsprinting Marta Bastianelli of the UAE Team. Jeremy Whittle was there to see it ...

Stage six in summary: Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) was first past the post in the latest stage of the Tour de France Femmes , her second win of the race increasing her lead on GC to 30 seconds, with the remaining two stages in the mountains to come.

For all her talent, Vos will almost certainly lose the yellow jersey in tomorrow’s mountain stage to Le Markstein but can console herself with the fact that she has all but secured the green jersey. She has a 76 point lead over Lorena Wiebes, who would have fancied her chances of making it a hat-trick of stage wins this afternoon, were it not for a high speed fall on a descent that left her bloodied and bruised.

Top 10 on General Classification after stage six

• Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) 19hr 30min 14sec
• Silvia Persico (Valcar-Travel & Service) +30sec
• Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) +30sec
• Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) +35sec
• Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (SD Worx) +1min 05sec
• Demi Vollering (SD Worx) +1min 11sec
• Juliette Labous (DSM) +1min 19sec
• Aneemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) +1min 28
• Cecile Ludwig (FDJ-Suez-Futurscope) +2min 02sec
• Elise Chabbey (Canyon/SRAM Racing) +2min 34sec

🇳🇱 @marianne_vos wins in Rosheim, in her Yellow Jersey 💛 Victoire en Jaune pour @marianne_vos 💛 #TDFF #WatchTheFemmes pic.twitter.com/D6UKOGBOPo — Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) July 29, 2022

Marianne Vos wins by a bike-length: The Dutch rider breasts the metaphorical tape ahead of Marta Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ) in second place, with Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) rolling across the line in third.

Marianne Vos wins the stage!!!

The Dutch legend wins the sprint in the yellow jersey, extending her lead on GC courtesy of the bonus seconds that were up for grabs. That was a thoroughly deserved win on the back of a fine team effort from the riders of Jumbo Visma.

1km to go: Karljin Swinkels of Jumbo Visma does her turn at the front and with 400m to go the field takes an extremely tight right turn.

2km to go: The Jumbo Visma teammates of Marianne Vos are positioned near the front of the bunch as assorted big-hitters prepare for what could be a thrilling denouement.

4km to go: Dappled in shadows, the tree-lined road is fairly narrow and the turns are tight as the bunch heads down towards the finish in almost single file.

5km to go: Le Net leads the field into a sweeping descent towards the finish with the peloton strung out behind.

6km to go: Team SD Worx take over at the front of a bunch that is about to catch Marie Le Net.

7km to go: With two kilometres to go to the beginning of a very tricky descent to the finish, Marie Le Net keeps the hammer down as Trek-Segafredo leads the chase at the front of the peloton behind.

8km to go: French FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope rider Marie Le Net is first over the final climb of the day but her lead of the peloton is just 16 seconds.

11km to go: Onwards and upwards and our breakaway group has been reduced to a trio – Marie Le Net, Jos Lowden and Anna Henderson – who are being hunted down by a peloton that is just 30 seconds behind. Le Net attacks on the final categorised climb with just 10 kilometres to go.

13km to go: Despite the struggles of their teammate Lorena Wiebes after her crash, The riders of Team DSM are doing the hard work at the front of the bunch, in an effort to set up Liane Lippert for a sprint finish.

16km to go: There is one climb left today, the Category 4 Côte de Boersch, which peaks 9.2km from the finish line and it’s more or less downhill all the way to the line. Just after the flamme rouge , signifying one kilometre to go, the road gets very narrow, which could lead to all sorts of problems in the event of a sprint finish.

18km to go: The gap from the breakaway to the yellow jersey group is 1min 06km, while the unfortunate Wiebes is a further 1min 34sec behind, cycling on her own and looking in a great deal of discomfort.

22km to go: The lead group is down to approximately 10 riders, while the Green Jersey, Lorena Wiebes has crashed on a descent. She’s sits for a while on the roadside looking very sorry for herself before getting back to her feet, remounting and setting off in pursuit of the bunch. Her shorts are torn and there is claret pouring from her right elbow.

27km to go: It’s as you were with the 14-woman breakaway but the gap is in to 45 seconds. We can hopefully expect some fireworks in the lead group from here on in. At the front of the peloton, Australian FDJ Suez Futuroscope rider Grace Brown attacks.

33km to go: A stage that promised so much in terms of excitement is delivering precious little so far – the 14-woman breakaway is being kept on a very tight rein by the chasing peloton and the gap is at 1min 11sec.

41km to go: The breakaway group go through the intermediate sprint with Tamara Dronova (Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad) taking maximum points. The gap to the bunch is 1min 20sec.

It's strung out behind as riders from teams who have missed the break try to keep it under control... The escapees enjoyed a maximum gap of 2'07" over the summit of Côte de Grendelbruch and are now holding an advantage of ~1'20" as the race enters the last 50km 🚴‍♀️ #TDFF #TDFFdata pic.twitter.com/03K1lXu2hk — letourdata (@letourdata) July 29, 2022

55km to go: The EF Education boss gets back on the blower to his woman in the breakaway, Kathrin Hammes, warning her to be careful of some tricky turns on the descent from the Cote de Grendelbruch. She moves nearer to the front of the bunch.

60km to go: Jos Louden sprints off the front of the breakaway to take the maximum three points available at the summit of the Cote de Grendelbruch. Once over the top, she sits up, reaches back into her pocket and pulls out something to eat. I thought she might pull a sly tactical stroke by putting even more distance between herself and the rest of the breakaway.

61km to go: We hear from the race radio of EF Education-Tibco-SVB rider of Kathrin Hammies, whose directeur sportif reminds her to eat and drink, eat and drink ... and do as little work as possible in the breakaway.

61km to go: The breakaway group is making its way up the category 3 Côte de Grendelbruch which is 512m high and the gap is out to 1min 46sec. They have a kilometre to go to the top.

68km to go: Jos Louden (Uno-X) takes maximum points on the second climb of the afternoon, the Category 4 Côte de Klingenthal and is followed over by Marie Le Net (FDJ-Suez- Futuroscope). Behind them, Bastianelli has been reeling by a bunch that is 1min 38sec off the pace being set by the leaders.

71km to go: The gap is out to 1min 50sec and UAE Team ADQ rider Marta Bastianelli is doing her damnedest to bridge across from the peloton to the breakaway, no doubt under orders as her team missed out on a place in the original escape party.

75km to go: A group of 14 riders have opened a gap of 1min 24sec on the peloton. Please be upstanding for Audrey Cordon Ragot (Trek-Segafredo), Sheyla Gutierrez (Movistar), Christine Majerus (SD Worx), Marie Le Net (FDJ Suez Futuroscope), Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma), Franziska Koch (Team DSM), Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon//Sram), Ruby Roseman-Gannon (BikeExchange-Jayco), Sandra Alonso (Ceratizit-WNT), Laura Smulders (Liv Racing Xstra), Katrin Hammes (EF Education-Tibco-SVB), Jesse Vandenbulcke (Le Col-Wahoo), Joscelin Lowden (Uno-X) and Tamara Dronova (Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad).

75km to go: Maaike Boogaard was first over the first of four climbs today, the Category 4 Col d’Urbeis. She took two Queen of the Mountains points, with Femke Gerritse, who currently wears the polka dot jersey, taking the other one.

78km to go: Martina Alzini (Cofidis) has abandoned.

We join stage six with 85km to go: It’s been quite the frenetic start but the bunch remains intact although Trek-Segafredo rider Elisa Longo Borghini, in fourth place on GC, has had to work hard to get back in the peloton after suffering a mechanical. Her teammate Audrey Cordon Ragot helped pace her back to the bunch.

"Anyone wanting to take a stage victory into Rosheim has to ride this one from the front." @spannawalker talks through Stage 6 which has very little time for recovery and a technical run in to the final 5km #TDFF #TDFFdata pic.twitter.com/v96HZcQEgQ — letourdata (@letourdata) July 29, 2022

Three non-starters: Marta Lach (Ceratizit-WNT), Eleonora Gasparrini (Valcar-Travel & Service) and Marjolein Van’t Geloof (Le Col-Wahoo) failed to line up at the start today, which means the field is down to 125 riders with three stages to go.

Liebes wins stage five as almost half the field hit the deck

Stage five report: Lorena Wiebes of Team DSM won her second stage of the Tour in a sprint finish, while almost half the field were involved in a massive pile-up. Jeremy Whittle reports from Saint-Dié-des-Vosges.

Top 10 on GC after stage five

• Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) 16hr 20min 58sec
• Silvia Persico (Valcar-Travel & Service) +20sec
• Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) +20sec
• Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) +34sec
• Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (SD Worx) +55sec
• Demi Vollering (SD Worx) +1min 01sec
• Juliette Labous (DSM) +1min 09sec
• Aneemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) +1min 18
• Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez-Futurscope) +1min 52sec
• Elise Chabbey (Canyon/SRAM Racing) +2min 24sec

Saint-Dié-des-Vosges to Rosheim (128.6km)

Following yesterday’s sprint finish at the end of a long, flat track, today’s far more punchy stage may be better suited to the breakaway specialists in the peloton ahead of tomorrow’s foray up the mountains.

While today’s course is hilly and more suited to the baroudeurs in the field, the sprinters among the bunch may well fancy their chances in what is almost certainly their final opportunity to take a stage win before a race-deciding weekend in the Vosges. While unlikely, it would not be a massive surprise to see Dutch rocket Lorena Wiebes make it a hat-trick of wins this week.

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Spectator who caused massive crash at Tour de France missing after fleeing the country

By Caitlin O'Kane

June 29, 2021 / 7:30 AM EDT / CBS News

A spectator at the Tour de France who caused a massive crash involving dozens of cyclists is missing as race authorities plan to sue her. Tour de France deputy director Pierre-Yves Thouault told the  AFP news agency they plan to sue the woman "so that the tiny minority of people who do this don't spoil the show for everyone. "

However, French publication  Ouest-France reported  the woman, who is believed to be German, got on a flight and is untraceable, according to CBS Sports .

Video shows the woman, who held a long banner on the sidelines of the race, stick the banner out a little too far, causing German cyclist Tony Martin to bike right into it. Martin fell, setting off a domino effect for competitors as cyclists behind him also fell. 

GREAT TO SEE SPECTATORS BACK INVOLVED IN SPORTS EH pic.twitter.com/Kwxj8be2Qh — Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) June 26, 2021

The sign was a hello message for the woman's grandparents, CBS Sports reports. She appeared to hold the sign out so it was in the view of cameras – but it blocked part of the road. 

Following the crash, the Tour de France Twitter page put out a public service announcement, urging in-person spectators not to "risk everything for a photo or to get on television!"

⚠ 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! pic.twitter.com/eA6nnhRhWv — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) June 26, 2021

The crash caused by the spectator's sign was just the first of opening day. German cyclist Jasha Suetterlin was the first rider to leave the race after the crash and a second accident brought down several others, Reuters reports . French cyclist Julian Alaphilippe went on to win the first stage of the 21-stage race, crossing the finish line with blood dripping from his knee.

Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.

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Woman with sign who caused massive Tour de France crash reportedly arrested

• ESPN News Services

The spectator who sent cyclist Tony Martin and, consequently, a large part of the Tour de France peloton crashing in the opening stage of the race has been arrested, according to multiple reports.

According to reports, the 30-year-old French woman had been taken into custody in Brittany, the northwest French region where the Tour de France, the world's biggest cycling event, held its first four stages.

She is accused of involuntarily causing injury and putting the life of others at risk. RTL is reporting that she is facing a fine of €1,500.

On Saturday, Martin was sent tumbling when he rode straight into a cardboard sign being held out by the woman, who was looking the other way at a television camera, creating chaos with 47 kilometers (29.2 miles) left in the stage.

A huge crash at #TDF2021 this morning was caused when a spectator held out a sign and struck a rider. Jasha Sütterlin was forced to withdraw from the race due to an injury sustained in the crash, according to @LeTour . pic.twitter.com/XCcEjHRAGp — NBC Sports (@NBCSports) June 26, 2021

The Tour has cautioned fans to "respect the safety of the riders'' and not to "risk everything for a photo or to get on television!''

Tour organizers said on Saturday that they planned to sue the woman.

"We are suing this woman who behaved so badly," Pierre-Yves Thouault, the Tour's deputy director, said, according to AFP. "We are doing this so that the tiny minority of people who do this don't spoil the show for everyone."

Another huge pileup occurred in a nervy finale on narrow roads on Monday, leading the Tour de France riders to put their collective foot down at the beginning of the fourth stage on Tuesday -- literally -- bringing the race to a halt for about a minute in a silent protest for safer racing conditions after the crashes.

The brutal scenes prompted veteran sports director Marc Madiot from the Groupama FDJ team to lash out over the lack of safety on the road.

"Tonight, I don't want to see my son become a professional rider,'' Madiot said Monday at the finish in the town of Pontivy. "My wife does not want to see my son on a bike. It's been years that we are talking about [safety]; we need to find solutions. It's not bike racing anymore. One day there will be dead people.''

The last rider to die on the Tour was Fabio Casartelli, an Italian on the then-Motorola team of Lance Armstrong who crashed on the descent of the Portet d'Aspet pass in 1995.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Giro d'Italia stage 11 Live - The sprinters return

Crashes wreak havoc at Tour de France Femmes opener on Champs-Élysées

Cofidis crash victim Castrique first abandon of Tour de France femmes, taken to hospital

A crash-marred finale at the opening stage of the Tour de France Femmes saw one rider transported to hospital and several others lose significant time in the overall classification on the Champs-Éysées on Sunday.

Alana Castrique (Cofidis) time at the Tour de France Femmes has ended after she bore the brunt of the first crash on the famed boulevard with 12km to go.

The Belgian rider went down with Luxembourg National Champion Christine Majerus (SD Worx), but while Majerus was able to get back on her bike and finish 136th, Castrique received medical attention at the side of the road. She was then lifted by stretcher from the course and transported by ambulance to hospital for further checks.

"Following her fall, Alana Castrique is taken care of by the Tour de France Femmes medical teams. We hope for reassuring news from our rider very soon," Cofidis said.

Tour de France Femmes: the complete guide Wiebes beats Vos to claim stage 1 win and yellow jersey at Tour de France Femmes How to watch the 2022 Tour de France Femmes – live TV and streaming

Contacted by Cyclingnews for a medical update, Cofidis representative Antoine Grenapin said that after being transferred to hospital with ASO's medical team, they are awaiting confirmation of her injuries. Cofidis also confirmed that their team doctor is at the hospital with Castrique.

The next crash happened with 5.6km to go after a touch of wheels mid-pack brought down BikeExchange-Jayco riders Amanda Spratt, Ane Santesteban and the team's GC leader Kristen Faulkner.

All three riders got back on their bikes but were unable to get back into the field that was already speeding into the set-up for the bunch sprint won by Lorena Wiebes (DSM).

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Spratt finished the race in 126th place at 56 seconds, Faulkner in 128th at 1:11 and Santesteban in 129th, 1:40 back.

"Not the result we were after, but we'll go again tomorrow," said BikeExchange-Jayco.

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Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews , overseeing the global racing content plan.

Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.

She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.

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Tour De France Champ Vingegaard Back Riding After Crash

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Jonas Vingegaard on Tuesday completed his first outing on a bicycle a month after a horrific crash and insisted he was hopeful of bidding for a third straight Tour de France crown.

"Of course I hope to be there at the start of the Tour de France," the Danish Visma-Lease a Bike rider said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"We don't know exactly how my shape and recovery will go but I will do everything I can to get there," he added of the June 29 to July 21 race.

The 27-year-old was hospitalised after suffering rib and collarbone fractures and sustaining lung damage in a mass crash on the Tour of the Basque Country on April 4.

"This is the first time back on the bike for me, riding outside and it's really nice to be finally able to ride like normal again and finally to be able to ride on the road is really amazing," Vingegaard said.

"I'm really looking forward to taking the next steps," he continued.

"I feel good, it's improving day by day. I still have some things to recover from but it's going better and better."

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The moment a car crashes into a cyclist during the Championnats de Cyclisme de l'Avenir race

Sport The moment a car crashes into a cyclist during the Championnats de Cyclisme de l'Avenir race

The head of the Professional Cyclists Association has slammed the actions of a team director after he crashed into a rider in the closing stages of a race in France.

Riders Amandine Muller and Célia Gery were competing in the under-19 women's race at the Championnats de Cyclisme de l'Avenir, "the race of the future".

With 31 kilometres remaining of the 81.9km course, Muller and Gery were leading the race when Gery dropped back to talk to her Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes team car.

While the pair were talking, the driver of the car crashed into the back of Muller, causing her to crash in front of Gery, who also went down.

The commentators on France TV3 gasped at what they had seen before trying to explain the situation.

Both riders were able to remount and finish the race, with Gery finishing first and Muller trailing home in second place.

Adam Hansen, the former Australian professional who won two grand tour stages and is now president of the Professional Cyclists Association, was scathing of the incident in a social media post.

"We are so grateful Amandine fell on the left side and not the right, as the car couldn't stop fast enough and it could have been fatal for her," he wrote.

"We will watch this final outcome of the DS [Directeur Sportif] very closely.

"I hope whatever the outcome is, he realises a car can be a weapon in the wrong hands."

Accidents between support vehicles and cyclists are rare, but have occurred at the highest level.

In 2022 New Zealander Jack Bauer crashed into the back of Team UAE's car on stage 18 of the Tour de France after a crash occurred on a downhill section of the route.

"It was either head off to the left and hit a building or maintain trajectory and hit the UAE car," Bauer told Cycling News at the time.

"I hit the Shimano car a couple of days ago and I know how soft the panels of a car are compared to either a road or a building."

Far more dramatically,  Johnny Hoogerland was sent flying into a barbed wire fence by a television car during the ninth stage of the 2011 Tour de France.

Fellow rider Juan-Antonio Flecha was struck by the car as it attempted to pass the riders in a breakaway, causing Hoogerland to career into the barbed wire with shocking and graphic consequences.

The Dutch rider needed 33 stitches to close the large gashes on his legs but was, incredibly, able to continue the race. 

In 2021, Team BikeExchange sports director Gene Bates was kicked off the Giro d'Italia after a car he was driving crashed into the back of Belgian rider Pieter Serry.

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Jonas Vingegaard’s Tour de France Participation Remains Uncertain

“We cannot go to the Tour for Jonas to defend the title if he is not 100 percent,” says Visma-Lease a Bike team director Richard Plugge.

In the Spanish magazine Revelo , Plugge gave an extensive interview about safety in cycling, the future of the sport from a business standpoint, and the fate of the team for this season—with or without Vingegaard as the team leader at the Tour.

Last week, Vingegaard returned to riding outside—a major hurdle after suffering a broken collarbone and fractured ribs in the crash at Itzulia Basque Country . Plugge told Revelo that Vingegaard’s general health was the first hurdle to overcome, saying that “we had as a team was to assess whether Jonas could return to being a fully capable person… After a fall like the one he suffered, we have to be cautious and go day by day with his recovery.”

And while Vingegaard has returned to riding outdoors, the Tour de France starts in a mere six weeks. That’s a tight recovery window for a rider like Vingegaard, who’s considered one of the only racers capable of going head-to-head with Tadej Pogačar , who’s clearly in top form at the moment. It also means he’ll miss the team’s preparation camp at altitude ahead of the Tour, potentially impacting his ability to train as effectively as he normally would and not giving him much time to prepare with his teammates.

“It is clear that we contemplate two scenarios: one in which Jonas goes to the Tour and another in which he does not,” Plugge admitted to Revelo. “It all depends on his recovery. In the end, we cannot go to the Tour for Jonas to defend the title if he is not 100 percent. It’s something we’re not going to go through.”

He also noted that Van Aert is recovering well at the moment—his injuries in a crash eight days ahead of Vingegaard’s were less severe, though he still missed a significant chunk of the early season and has yet to return to racing. But even Van Aert may not be on the start line for Visma-Lease a Bike this year, Plugge said. (Here’s hoping that if Van Aert missed the Tour, he’ll be fresh for cyclocross season.)

Plugge also discussed the lack of safety in many races, citing many incidents in recent seasons where fans on the road created unsafe environments for racers and, in some cases, even caused serious crashes. As Plugge put it, “We have to protect the health of our athletes and our business… And we must take action as soon as possible.”

Molly writes about cycling, nutrition and training with an emphasis on bringing more women into sport. She's the author of nine books including the Shred Girls series and is the founder of Strong Girl Publishing . She co-hosts The Consummate Athlete Podcast and spends most of her free time biking and running on trails, occasionally joined by her mini-dachshund.

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Jonas Vingegaard makes stunning recovery from horror crash – with sights set on Tour de France

The two-time tour de france champion is hoping to be fit for the grand depart in seven weeks, article bookmarked.

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Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard has raised hopes of a remarkable return at next month’s Tour de France after riding outside for the first time just 31 days after a horror crash in Spain.

Vingegaard broke his collarbone and ribs and suffered a collapsed lung during a high-speed crash in the Tour of the Basque Country, which forced the Dane to spend a fortnight in hospital.

However, the 27-year-old insisted he has not given up hope of making it to the Tour’s Grand Depart on June 29 in Florence and made the latest encouraging step in his recovery as he rode outside for the first time since his crash.

“This is the first time back on the bike for me riding outside and it’s really nice to finally be able to ride like normal again and finally to be able to ride on the road is really amazing. I’m really looking forward to taking the next steps too,” Vingegaard said in a video released by his team, Visma-Lease a Bike.

“I feel good, it’s improving day by day. I still have some things to recover from but it’s going better and better. Of course, I hope to be there at the start of the Tour de France.

“We don’t know exactly how my shape and how my recovery will go but I will do everything I can to get there in my top shape.”

Providing he is fit, the two-time defending champion will resume his mouth-watering rivalry with Tadej Pogacar, who won the Tour in 2020 and 2021. The Slovenian, who rides for UAE-Team Emirates, currently holds a lead over Britain’s Geraint Thomas in the Giro d’Italia and will hope to become the first rider since the legendary Marco Panatani in 1998 to win both Grand Tours in the same year.

The crash that injured Vingagard in northern Spain also sidelined highly-rated Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel, although the Soudal-QuickStep has already returned to training as he gears up for his first Tour.

Vingagard’s teammate, Wout van Aert, meanwhile, is another big name hoping to recover in time for the Grand Depart. The 29-year-old crashed during March’s Tour of Flanders but has also returned to riding outdoors as he prepares for a big summer that will see him compete in the Tour before turning his full focus to the Paris Olympics.

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2024 Could Be a Make-Or-Break Year for the Tour de France Femmes

I f there’s one depressing fact I’ve learned in nearly two decades of covering women’s cycling, it’s that, sadly, there’s rarely a moment to rest on one’s laurels in this sport—and that’s particularly true for race organizers, and team owners.

Just because a race does fantastically well one year in terms of unprecedented levels of viewership and media coverage or because a team is arguably the absolute best in the world doesn’t guarantee anything. It’s all easy come, easy go. That’s why I’m nervous about the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and why I believe that this year could be the most pivotal year for the race.

But why am I worried about the Tour de France Femmes in year three? After all, viewership numbers have been high, enthusiasm hasn’t waned, and sports bars are full of fans screaming for Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma. And yet... There are a few important factors to consider.

Last year, Zwift’s Kate Verroneau told me that the second year of the TDFF was scary for her: The first year, you’re riding a wave of hype. In the second year, the race has to stand as a great race, not just a “first.” What about the third year?

“There’s no kind of resting on the fact that last year was really successful,” Veronneau said then. “I look at it and think, ‘Last year was pretty easy sell: It was the first women’s Tour de France in over 30 years. That was easy to get the media on board, easy to get sponsors on board. It was the first time that that huge of an audience watched women’s racing.”

Year two was hugely successful, but what about year three?

The sponsorship dynamics at play

First, there’s the simple fact that this is year three of Zwift’s four-year commitment to the Tour de France Femmes in partnership with ASO. That means if Zwift isn’t planning to continue its support or is going to cut back its sponsorship budget, this is the year the race needs to look for a new sponsor.

Leaving it entirely to next year, the final year in their contract, is foolhardy. So I have to imagine that there’s some buzz happening behind the scenes already. I haven’t heard any scuttlebutt about them giving up their title sponsorship position, to be clear, but considering Zwift just had a round of layoffs and a shuffle in their C-suite , who knows where they’re heading? Hopefully into another lengthy contract, but it’s unclear. My fingers are crossed.

Viewership challenges

Viewership this year will also be more important than ever. High viewership numbers mean a better chance of securing new or renewed sponsorship dollars, and TdFF viewership has been undeniably impressive. But this year is going to make that tricky. The men’s Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes are separated this year by the Olympics. That means three weeks between the races, rather than the men’s race ending on the day the women’s race began.

In the past two years, it was easy to just continue tuning in if you’d been watching the men’s race. This year, viewers will have to actively seek it out starting August 12—the day after the Olympics finish. That is a lot of TV watching for cycling/sports fans to contend with. While serious fans will still tune in, those ‘medium’ fans may not.

The state of the cycling industry

Then, there’s the cycling industry landscape. Brands like Trek and Specialized are slashing budgets , and Shimano is reporting quarter after quarter of losses . To blithely assume that there’s a cycling company capable of taking Zwift’s place as title sponsor in the current landscape is a mistake.

I say all this not to be discouraging. It’s meant to be a rallying cry. What does this all mean for you, the person reading this?

I want to believe that this race will survive and thrive in the same way that Le Tour has for over a century. But I also know that it takes more than love to keep a race of this magnitude running. It takes cold, hard cash. It takes commitment from big businesses that often see women’s cycling as a line item that they can scrap when it’s time to tighten up their belts. It took decades to get back to a point where we have this race. It’s happened before, it’s been lost before. Let’s not let it happen again.

It’s time to get fired up and ensure that the Tour de France Femmes isn’t just a blip in the cycling history books. Mark your calendars, set a Google alert for the Tour de France Femmes, follow racers on social media, and plan watch parties—let’s make this the loudest Tour de France Femmes yet.

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Tour de France 2021 - Woman who caused huge Tour crash with sign-waving fined 1200 euros by French court

Updated 09/12/2021 at 16:27 GMT

The 2021 Tour de France saw a huge crash on the first stage leaving from Brest. The cause of the incident, which led to several retirements and injuries, came due to a woman who was waving a sign too close to the peloton, causing a fall of a number of riders. The woman was fined 1,200 euros on Thursday.

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