Fan holds arm over barriers
Tour sprinter just barely prevents a fall after a collision
07/13/2023, 5:55 am
There was almost a devastating accident at the Tour de France. In the final sprint of the 11th stage, sprinter Jordi Meeus briefly loses his balance because he collides with a spectator’s outstretched arm. The fan apparently wanted to film the sprint.
The sprinter Jordi Meeus from the German cycling team Bora-hansgrohe almost experienced a fall on the eleventh stage of the Tour de France because of a fan. “I collided with a spectator with my right arm and almost fell to the ground,” said the 25-year-old Belgian about the incident in Moulins on Wednesday. “I just managed to avoid a fall,” he added.
With almost 400 meters to go, a fan held his arm over the barrier. Possibly to film with his smartphone. Meeus, who was driving on the edge, lost his balance slightly after the contact, but was able to catch himself again. In a gripping sprint, he finished eleventh. The Bocholter Phil Bauhaus had to admit defeat to the strong Jasper Philipsen in third place. The Belgian celebrated his fourth stage win at this year’s Tour.
Bauhaus later admitted: “I just don’t have the speed.” Even in a promising position he had no chance. “If you win four mass sprints, you’re simply the fastest. That’s no longer a coincidence,” said Bauhaus, who made his personal hat-trick on the podium with third place, but would love to be at the top. “I might just be missing a few hundred watts that Philipsen has,” said Bauhaus. The 25-year-old sprinter from the Alpecin-Deceuninck team pushes up to over 1500 watts in the finals, more than anyone else.
Again and again there are collisions at the most important cycling event in the world. In 2021 there was a serious fall when the German Tony Martin crashed into a spectator’s cardboard sign held on the street. A year later, driver Daniel Oss had to retire from the Tour of France due to a fractured neck after hitting an unwary fan with his head.