When Wu-Tang Clan came up with their classic song, “Protect Ya Neck,” it is certain that they did not have the potentially dangerous course of the Tour de France in mind. However, cyclist Daniel Oss proved the obstacles on the world’s most famous cycling race can be in the form of people.
Oss had a collision with spectators that unfortunately forced him to retire from this year’s Tour de France with a broken neck. The Italian cycle star’s dramatic high-speed crash was caught on video that went viral. The crazy footage shows Oss catching a bicycle fade as he careens off-balance from mowing down one onlooker before hitting another leaning out to film the race on the phone.
Sector 3 chute spectateurs @TeamTotalEnrg @Daniel87Oss pic.twitter.com/dkExu8NNwl
— Victor Loy (@LoyVictor) July 6, 2022
Protect Your Neck
The woman who collided with Oss was eventually identified and arrested by authorities.
Oss is a member of Team TotalEnergies, which issued a statement after the loss of the rider in the Tour de France competition.
“Complementary examinations have revealed a fracture of a cervical vertebra requiring immobilization for a few weeks,” a team statement read. “Additional examinations revealed a fracture of a cervical vertebra,” Oss’ team said, adding that he’ll now be required to be immobilized for “a few weeks. The whole team wishes you a good recovery Daniel.”
Oss crashed into the fans on Wednesday during Stage 5 between Lille and Arenberg. A distance of 157 kilometers, the route travels from Lille to Arenberg and traverses the cobblestones. During this stage, even cyclists specializing in cobblestone have to brace themselves. There are 11 cobblestone sectors on the program.
A “Nasty Way”
The 35-year-old describes himself as a “grunge” professional cyclist that rides “as a bad boy and in quite a nasty way since 2009” who “always give 110% when I am in a race.”
However, Oss did cross the finish line, and it wasn’t until later that medical scans uncovered his broken neck, which took him out from the rest of the Tour.
“I spit my soul out and I never have regrets when cutting the finish line,” Oss says on his website. “To tell the truth, however, I have one regret: once I wanted to stop for a beer with some fans cheering along the Alpe d’Huez. I was cycling my fifth Tour de France. I did not stop, and I am still regretting it today.”
Oss wasn’t the only cyclist who crashed as multiple accidents occurred. However, he was the most seriously injured.
ughhhhhh!!!
Daniel Oss out of @LeTour with brokem clavicle. pic.twitter.com/o3GMOOTj0H— Gustavo Carrillo (@Eltigreuno) July 7, 2022
Tour de Crash?
Another cyclist, Michael Gogl, was injured in the crash and suffered a broken collarbone and pelvis/iliac bone, forcing him to withdraw from the race. Additionally, another rider got caught in the crash and was felled.
It is par for the course when you are a Tour de France cyclist and is almost a tradition for a fan to crash into bikers during the Tour. Last year, a biker was hit by a fan with her cardboard sign during the race, which caused a huge pileup.
Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar is now the current overall Tour leader after Saturday’s Stage 8.
