Woman who caused massive Tour de France crash has gone missing
Days after causing a massive pile-up during the famed Tour de France cycling race, the woman who caused the bloody collision has now apparently gone missing.
The incident started when the anonymous spectator held up a cardboard sign in front of German cyclist Tony Martin, causing him to hit the cardboard and bring down several other cyclists in the race. A number of them ended up down and bloodied in the grass nearby.
Favorites Primož Roglič and Geraint Thomas hit the floor, with Australian frontrunner Caleb Ewan ending up with a broken collarbone. Even the first stage winner, French cyclist Julian Alaphilippe, finished off scathed with a bloody knee.
It's since been one of the most violent crashes in recent Tour de France history. The sign was apparently supposed to be a welcome greeting for the woman's grandparents for the brief moment she appeared on television. The handwritten "Allez Opi-Omi!" translates to “Go Grandpa and Grandma” in a mix of French and German.
Tour de France shortly posted a disclaimer urging fans not to "risk everything for a photo or to get on television!"
GREAT TO SEE SPECTATORS BACK INVOLVED IN SPORTS EH pic.twitter.com/Kwxj8be2Qh
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) June 26, 2021
? Oh l'énorme chute dans le peloton !
— France tv sport (@francetvsport) June 26, 2021
Une banderole fait tomber Tony Martin et derrière, c'est l'effet domino ! Des dizaines de coureurs se retrouvent au sol ! #TDF2021
▶ Suivez le Tour de France en direct : https://t.co/ulj9JGnQBb pic.twitter.com/pdNtzJC5sd
Tour de France plans to sue the woman to make an example out of distracting cyclists, but reports now say that she can't be found by authorities, with French newspaper Ouest-France reporting that the German woman has fled the country.
For now,Tour de France can’t press charges as the woman remains untraceable.
Photos from Timothy Burke and Getty Images