Authorities are trying to track down the woman who was responsible for causing a major crash during the opening stage of the Tour de France on Saturday (June 26).
The woman was standing near the side of the road holding a large sign as the bikers made their way past. Germany’s Tony Martin collided with the sign and lost his balance, causing dozens of riders to crash behind him. Several riders and spectators were injured in the crash, which left bodies and bicycles strewn across the road.
Three riders had to withdraw from the race due to their injuries.
Video from the race captured the moment the woman stepped too close to the road and caused the pile-up, which delayed the race for several minutes.
French authorities said the woman fled the scene and has not been identified by investigators. When they track down the woman, she is going to be facing a lawsuit from the Tour de France. Law enforcement officials have opened an investigation, accusing the woman of causing "unintentional injuries....by manifestly deliberate violation of an obligation of safety or prudence"
"We are suing this woman who behaved so badly," Pierre-Yves Thouault, the tour's deputy director, told Agence France-Presse. "We are doing this so that the tiny minority of people who do this don't spoil the show for everyone."
After the stage wrapped up, Martin, who was not injured in the crash, blasted the woman in a post on Instagram.
"To all the people next to the road who think that the #tourdefrance is a circus, to people who risk everything for a selfie with a 50 km/h fast peloton, to people who think it's nice to show their naked butt, to drunken people who push us sideways on the climbs, to people who think that it is a good idea to hold a sign into the road while the peloton is passing. I want to ask these people forcefully: please respect the riders and the #tourdefrance!" he wrote on Instagram. "Use your head or stay home! We don't want you here. You risk our life and our dreams for that we work so hard!"
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