As the peloton raced along the finishing circuits of the finale stage 21 at the Tour de France on Sunday, riders were forced to swerve to avoid a person standing in the centre of the road wearing what looked to be a large white cape while flapping their arms.
Stage winner, André Greipel (Lotto Soudal), who saw the spectator during the race said, “I was worried the whole day that something was going to happen. We saw a lot of police on the parcours and I hope nobody was involved in the crash. It’s sad to see something like that in one of the biggest sporting events in the world.”
It was the second incident through out the day that put riders’ and the public’s safety at risk, after a car tried to break through the barriers on the Champs-Élysées ahead of the women’s La Course.
At 8 a.m. local time, the car hit another car and then tried to drive through the security barriers of the race course, reported RTL. French police opened fire on the car, however, it drove away. No one was injured.
Protestor on the course - how did he get there! pic.twitter.com/VtsDEjetwT