Tour de France Fans

07/18/2023

By: Jeff Yoder

Fans Cause Crash for 2nd Straight Year as Rider Safety Becomes Major Concern at Tour de France

It’s the final week of the Tour de France, but the 3600 km trek (2,235 miles) hasn’t been without chaos. More than 15 million spectators line the course throughout the French countryside and inner-city legs, and those viewers are causing more problems in 2023. Crashes aren’t new at the Tour de France, but a spectator-caused pile-up occurred over the weekend for the second straight year after one fan leaned into the bike path to take a photo with their phone. Crashes also occurred on Stage 14, although not from fan interference, and the latest incident has riders pleading for added safety measures.

Photo Caption: As you can see in the above picture, it’s impossible to rope, fence, or block off 2,235 miles of race path. Fans get a little overzealous when they see their favorite rider.

Watch: Fan Causes Stage 15 Crash at Tour de France

Where They Stand

Monday marked another rest day for the riders after Week 2. The final week starts now with five more stages before the finale of Stage 21 in Paris Champs-Elysees on Sunday. Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard leads two-time winner Tadej Pogacar by just 10 seconds overall. No other rider is within striking distance as it appears to be a two-horse race once again.

Tour de France Standings

1. J. Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma): 62h, 34m, 17s

2. T. Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates): 62h, 34m, 27s

3. C. Rodriguez Cano (Ineos Grenadiers): 62h, 39m, 38s

4. A. Yates (UAE Team Emirates): 62h, 39m, 57s

5. J. Hindley (Bora-Handsgrohe): 62h, 40m, 55s

Full Standings

Upcoming Schedule

Stage 16: Today (6:50 am ET) — Passy→Combloux

Stage 17: Wed. (6:05 am ET) — Saint-Gervais→Courchevel

Stage 18: Thurs. (6:55 am ET) — Moutiers→Bourgen-Bresse

Yahoo! Sports: Peloton Crash Caused by Fan Leads to Cyclists Pleading for Self-Awareness

Photo: Anne-Christine Poujoulat / Getty Images