A spectator taking a selfie caused another huge pile-up at the Tour de France
- A spectator taking a selfie caused a new pile-up at the Tour de France on Saturday.
- Replay footage shows the specator holding their phone, arms outstretched, and clipping a cyclist.
A spectator taking a selfie cased a massive collision at the Tour de France on Sunday, sending numerous riders tumbling to the ground, photos and videos from the event showed.
Replays showed a spectator with their arms outstretched, holding a cellphone, while the peloton passed by. One rider, American cyclist Sepp Kuss, crashed into the person's arms and fell from his bike, causing the riders behind him to fall and pile up as well.
"There was a narrowing in a town. We were just trying to slow down the peloton to let the break go and then just on the side, unfortunately, somebody wanted to get a selfie," Kuss said, according to Cycling News. "I didn't really see it coming."
Kuss and every other rider who fell were able to get back on their bikes, according to the official Tour de France Twitter account. Kuss later told Cycling News his injuries from the pile-up had little effect on his performance.
Kuss' team, Jumbo-Visma, tweeted a warning to spectators: "Please always be aware when watching cycling at the side of the road."
It wasn't this season's first pile-up — some two dozen riders fell onto the road on Saturday as the peloton hit a corner that was slick with rain.
It's also not the first time a spectator has caused a pile-up at the Tour de France. In 2021, a woman holding out a sign that said "ALLEZ OPI-OMI!" — "Go Grandpa, Grandma!" in English — caused a German rider to fall, starting a chain reaction that caused dozens of other riders to crash into one another.
The woman was ultimately fined 1,200 euros ($1,350), plus a ceremonial fine of a single euro to France's professional cycling authority.