Pinarello-Q36.5 rider Xandro Meurisse suffered a major scare following the stage 16 individual time trial in the Tour de France when the Belgian racer was hit by a spectator's car as he was heading away from the finish.
The incident took place in the town of Thonon-les-Bains after the 26.1km race against the clock, when a spectator's car struck Meurisse from behind, causing the rider to fall on the ground, a team source told Cyclingnews.
The 34-year-old Belgian racer, who had completed the stage in 52nd place behind stage winner Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), suffered a number of cuts and bruises, as well as some road rash. It was expected, subject to final confirmation, that he would be able to start stage 17 as normal.
His bike, however, was completely destroyed as a result of the accident, as well as some of his race clothing being shredded.
The team source indicated that the police attended the scene, although they were not called by Meurisse or the team, and that the driver was asked to provide documentation.
Images were subsequently posted by Meurisse's fan club on social media showing the damage to his kit and body.
The incident was a near-mirror image of the collision suffered by Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) before the stage, when the American was hit by a spectator's car during the countdown to the time trial.
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Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews, he has also written for The Independent, The Guardian, ProCycling, The Express and Reuters.
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