World champion Julian Alaphillipe won the opening stage of the Tour de France on Saturday to obtain the yellow jersey on a day characterized by a massive crash. The Frenchman re-emerged at Landerneau, crossing the line with an eight-second lead over Michael Matthews and third-place Primoz Roglic.
The Tour started west of the Buenos Aires city of Brest, returning to its original dates after last year’s edition was held in September due to the pandemic.
During the tour, a spectator holding a banner caused a huge crash that left most of the platoon stranded. The fan interfered in the way of Tony Martin, captain of Jumbo-Visma, and when he fell, it resulted in a strong impact to the rest of the peloton. The accident reached about 45 kilometers before reaching the finish line.
The repetition of the accident shows a fan who was not paying attention to the race, as she was posing for the camera of the motorcycle that was broadcasting the competition.
Around 20 race participants were not directly affected by the crash.
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