A spectator during the 15th stage of the Tour de France really wanted a selfie with American rider Sepp Kuss, the fan ill-advisedly stepped out into the road, clipping Kuss and causing the rider to fall and 19 other riders behind him to be involved in the massive crash on Sunday.
The Tour de France Might Be The Biggest Sporting Event In The World
Kuss sustained cuts to his elbow and knee in the crash, but remounted shortly after and rejoined his group.
The Tour de France is the biggest bike race in the world and among the largest sporting events. Over 15 million spectators gather annually across France and the race is seen on television by more than 1 billion people. Suffice to say it’s a big deal.
But you can’t get involved in that way. These cyclists are moving at ridiculously fast speeds and one wrong move can cause disaster.
“There was a spectator leaning into the road, I guess. It just happened suddenly, and that’s part of the Tour, there are a lot of people,” said Kuss. “Ideally, that wouldn’t happen, but it’s the biggest bike race in the world and a lot of people don’t know exactly what’s going on.
“There was a narrowing in a town. We were just trying to slow down the peloton to let the break go and then just on the side unfortunately, somebody wanted to get a selfie. I didn’t really see it coming.”
Spectators Need To Stay Off The Road
Kuss is a member of the Jumbo-Visma team. His teammate Jonas Vingegaard is the overall Tour leader through 15 stages.
According to Reuters the Jumbo-Visma team is considering legal action against the fan that caused the crash.
“You also cannot say that people are not allowed, but I think spectators just have to act nice,” Vingegaard said in his post-race press conference. “Don’t stand on the road and take a picture. Just be on the side of the road, not in the road.”
The final 6 stages of the race include a time trial and some serious mountain work with the traditional finish on the Champs-Élysées this coming Sunday, July 23.