Tour de France: French Police arrest a woman over worst-ever crash

A woman has been arrested by police probing the worst crash in the history of the Tour de France.

French radio network RTL revealed the woman was arrested this morning and is now being held in police custody in Landerneau, a small town in Brittany where the 122-mile first stage from Brest ended on Saturday.

It remains unclear if the woman handed herself in to police after prosecutors begged the public to help track her down.  She is accused of involuntarily causing injury and faces a fine of 1,500 euros.

The police investigation has been ongoing since Saturday after the fan stepped out onto the road to show off her placard – bearing a message for her family written in German – at handlebar height. It caused German rider Tony Martin and around 50 others to crash. The incident caused 21 injuries, and even forced Jasha Suetterlin of Team DSM to abandon the race.  

Hours before today’s arrest Camille Miansoni, the prosecutor of the Republic of Brest, was quizzed on updates surrounding the woman while giving a public press conference for a different case.

‘Things are progressing well and we hope to be able to explain this event within a reasonable time,’ Miansoni told assembled media in Brest.

‘After the call for witnesses which was launched in the evening, several testimonies were taken. 

‘Obviously, you have to cross-check them, you have to check them, it takes a little time.’

When pushed for a time-frame for a resolution in locating the woman, Miansoni had added: ‘I can not give more elements, we are confident’. 

The crash took place near the summit of the Saint-Rivoal hill in the town of Saint-Cadou, with the nearest major city of Brest 28 miles away.  

French outlet Ouest-France previously said the spectator was ‘probably German’ given the language – Omi and Opi – used on the placard but there were real fears she became ‘untraceable’ in the aftermath.    

Chaos broke out in stage 1 when the fan, who had her back to the fast-moving peloton with a handmade sign which read ‘Allez Opi Omi’ – translated as a mix of French and German to mean ‘Go Grandma Grandpa’ – stepped out into the road at handlebar height.  

Prosecutors in Brittany launched a criminal inquiry on Sunday and a spokesman for the Finistere Gendarmerie pleaded over the weekend for the public’s help in finding the wanted fan. 

‘The spectator who caused this accident left the scene before the arrival of the investigators’, he said.

‘Everything is being done to try and find her. She was wearing glasses and dressed in blue jeans, a red and white striped sweater, and a waxed yellow jacket.’ 

He said the grounds for inquiry were that the fan ‘deliberately violated safety regulations and so causing injuries that might prevent someone working for up to three months’. This is an indictable offence punishable with up to a year in prison and a fine equivalent to just under £13,000. 

Saturday’s crash resembled ‘a war zone’ with the same ‘chaos’ and ‘moans’ from those involved, according to the on-site surgeon.

Gilbert Versier has been working as an orthopaedic surgeon on the Tour for 11 years but previously served as a medical officer, a three-star general operating in Iraq and Afghanistan.  

‘It looks like a war scene, the same chaos, the same moans, bodies everywhere and tangled machines,’ Versier told French daily newspaper L’Equipe. 

‘You can’t imagine so much breakage. In the midst of the commotion, the runners getting up and wanting to start again, the most serious cases must be identified. 

‘In general, these are the ones who are furthest from the accident site, because they have been thrown.’ 

British rider Chris Froome was among those caught up in the wreckage but he was able to get back on his bike on Sunday and complete stage two of the Tour de France despite being admitted to hospital on Saturday in light of the crash.

Speaking from a hospital bed on Saturday evening, Froome said:  ‘In a split second there were 50 or 60 of us all on the ground. I guess that’s bike racing.’    

Versier revealed it was common to see adrenaline fuel many riders to completing the stage despite others like Swiss rider Marc Hirshi dislocating his shoulder in the pile-up. 

‘The adrenaline rush is so bad that it makes them forget the pain,’ the surgeon added. 

‘Even seriously affected riders, such as Spaniard Marc Soler, both elbows fractured, Briton Chris Froome, with hip and chest injuries, or Swiss Marc Hirshi, his right shoulder completely disjointed, manage to finish.’ 

Hirshi suffered a dislocated shoulder with acromioclavicular ligament injury, a grade 3 injury, according to UAE team doctor Jereon Swart. 

But ‘after six hours sleep’ he was back ready to race on Sunday, fuelled by codeine, caffeine and paracetamol.

Tour deputy director Pierre-Yves Thouault told AFP that he is suing the woman for ‘behaving so badly’ to ensure ‘that the tiny minority of people who do this don’t spoil the show for everyone’. 

Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins said he had no sympathy for the fan involved, telling Eurosport: ‘They’re part and parcel of the spectacle of the Tour de France. And this year, in particular, being able to come back onto the route and watch it. I don’t know how you police it.’

Race director Christian Prudhomme slammed the French public for turning out in their droves and behaving ‘inadmissibly’ following the relaxation of the coronavirus lockdown, with ‘people running across the road in front of the race and children left to their own devices’. 

‘You come here to see heroes,’ he told French media. ‘If you want to see yourself look in the mirror.’

In the wake of Saturday’s crash, an official Tour statement over the weekend read: ‘We’re glad to have the public on the side of the road on the #TDF2021. But for the Tour to be a success, respect the safety of the riders! Don’t risk everything for a photo or to get on television!’ 

In a team press release, Mr Martin said: ‘We had everything under control until the crash. I brought the guys to the front via the right side of the road, but crashed into the sign of the spectator. 

‘It all happened very quickly; suddenly almost the entire team was on the ground. Many spectators behave respectfully, but unfortunately not this one. Fortunately, Primoz came through it well. I hope the physical damage to myself and the other guys is manageable.’   

Mr Thouault said that organisers had filed a complaint against the woman who now faces potential legal action from the Tour.

‘This is unacceptable behaviour,’ he said.’ There are safety rules to follow. Spectators don’t cross the road, they don’t take selfies. Frankly, her attitude was insane. The show is the riders, not spectators who want to be on TV.

‘The Tour must remain a party but because of the attitude of a very small minority, it is ruined. We can no longer accept this.’ 

Things took another turn for the worst at the Tour on Tuesday when Team Ineos’ Geraint Thomas dislocated his shoulder on another chaotic race day for stage 3.

When Thomas crashed less than 25 miles into the 114-mile stage, it appeared his race might be over as he sat on the road in pain and fell three minutes behind the peloton. But after having his shoulder popped back in, he remounted and lost just 26sec by the finish. He is 67sec off the overall leader. 

An X-ray on Monday night confirmed the Welshman had not suffered a fracture, but he will be reassessed this morning ahead of the first time trial on Wednesday.