A fan at the Tour de France took a selfie, and that caused a crash and pile-up of about 20 riders on stage 15.
According to BBC Sports, the stage was won by Dutchman Wout Poels as defending champion Jonas Vingegaard maintained his 10-second lead on Tadej Pogacar. Sepp Kuss, Vingegaard's Team Jumbo-Visma teammate, had his handlebars knocked off by a fan holding out a phone. Kuss went down with teammate Nathan van Hooydonck and brought down a large group in the peloton.
— Kristi Yamaguccimane 2.0 (@TheWapplehouse) July 17, 2023
"There was a narrowing in the town and a spectator in the road, and I guess he just clipped my handlebars," said Kuss.
Luckily, I'm OK, and hopefully the other guys in the crash are all right. It's not ideal."
"I think it's fatigue. It's been such a hard race, and everybody is a bit tired. You lose a bit of alertness, and there are always things out of your control as well."
The Tour de France teams have urged spectators to be more careful.
🙏 Please pay attention to the riders.
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 13, 2023
🙏 S'il vous plait, faites attention aux coureurs.#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/KfeEcUay69
Jumbo-Visma tweeted: Please always be aware when watching cyclists on the side of the road."
Team Confidis said: "Please be careful. So that the party remains a party for the runners but also for you. You don't need a cell phone to create mind-blowing memories."
Ineos Grenadiers said: "If you are spectating at this amazing event, please give the riders room to race."
In 2021, a fan who caused a crash when she held up a cardboard sign towards a television camera while facing away from oncoming cyclists was fined 1,200 euros ($1,347.48).
(With inputs from Reuters)
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