UPDATED 6/30, 12:10 p.m. ET: The woman responsible for the huge pile-up during the Tour de France has been arrested after a days-long search, Reuters reports. The 30-year-old turned herself in at a police station in Landerneau, Brittany, France.
She stands accused of involuntarily causing injury and putting the lives of others at risk.
See original story below.
The spectator who caused a massive pile-up during the first stage of the Tour de France has been arrested after presenting herself at a police station, a source close to the investigation told Reuters on Saturday.
The spectator, a 30-year-old French woman, is in custodyat a police station in Landerneau, Brittany, the northwest French region where the Tour de France, the world’s biggest cycling event, held its first four stages.
The Tour De France spectator whose complete lack of spatial awareness caused a massive pile-up during a race on Saturday has allegedly fled the country. This comes as an intent to sue her was announced by Tour de France deputy director Pierre-Yves Thouault. As told to the AFP news agency, Thouault says the plans to pursue legal action are “so that the tiny minority of people who do this don’t spoil the show for everyone.”
According to CBS Sports the woman, who is thought to be German, hopped on a flight and cannot currently be located. Footage shows her holding a sign that stuck too far out onto the road leading to a competitor (German cyclist Tony Martin) getting clipped, leading to all hell breaking loose.
The sign said “Allez Opi-Omi,” which reportedly translates to “Come on, grandpa and grandma.” At the risk of stating the obvious it was probably intended as a message for her grandparents. It would be easier to verify if *points at paragraph above* she could be located.
Cycling Weekly says French police are looking to track her down through Facebook. She had fled the scene before investigators arrived. A French newspaper, L’Equipe, says she could get a year in prison and a fine equal to roughly $17,746 as punishment.
The crash was the first of Saturday, which happened to be the first day of the 2021 version of the annual cycling competition. It forced one competitor, Jasha Sütterlin, to exit the Tour.
Check it out, probably again, below:
