Today’s Illustration: One of the most significant crashes in the history of the event!

Who: Tony Martin

Where: Tour de France

When: June 26, 2021

What: “One of the most significant crashes in the history of the event”

“Throughout the day, enthusiastic fans took to the streets of picturesque villages and thousands of them lined the verdant roads of the Brittany countryside. But some were also careless.

The first big spill was caused by a fan who brandished a cardboard sign and leaned into the path of veteran rider Tony Martin, who fell off his bike and took many others down in his slipstream. The Tour cautioned fans to “respect the safety of the riders” and “Don’t risk everything for a photo or to get on television!” — olympics.nbcsport

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“Many are describing it as one of the most significant crashes in the history of the event.” — boston.com

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“The most shocking part is it’s really not that shocking, an accident caused by a spectator on the road(where they’re allowed to stand) has been waiting to happen for years.

The Sign: “the sign would translate to ‘Go grandpa-grandma’ . . . It’s not clear how the fan’s grandfather and grandmother feel about their grandchild’s catastrophic stunt . . . . What’s known is that the fan reportedly disappeared after their recklessness nearly ruined the Tour de France.” — boston.com

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At least 21 riders were injured, some of them quite severely with head trauma, broken ribs, fractured elbows, etc. Some of the bicyclists had to officially bow out of the race because of the injuries they’d sustained.

[Chris Froome] — “One moment everything was fine and we were heading towards the finish, and then at 60-70kph there was just a touch of wheels somewhere in the peloton and it was just carnage. There were probably 50-60 riders on the floor. There was just nowhere for me to go. I braked as hard as I could but I still went into the back of the guys who crashed in front of me,” he said in a YouTube video published Sunday.

“I hit my left side pretty hard, my left leg and chest. Went for scans last night, and got back at 1:00 am but it’s all good with no fractures, just a lot of swelling and a lot of bruising, so I’m pretty sore this morning. I’m going to try and get through today’s stage, survive, and hope that in the coming days it starts to feel better.” — bizpacreview.

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