Tour de France Crash

[Chicoryhickory]

I'm really feeling for that woman who held up the sign and caused the crash. I know she was too close but it was an accident and now they're threatening jail. I bet she's scared to death..

She absolutely needs to be made an example of. What an utterly moronic thing she did. So dangerous. She needs to own her stupidity and be accountable for it. No sympathy here.

@NotTheFunKindOfFeminist

I don't like witch hunts. The anxiety she must be feeling must be horrible.

She isn't a direct danger to the public so let her hand herself in when she's ready.

"When she is ready" is not good enough. You wouldn't say that if a car driver made a mistake and caused a pile-up then left the scene. This is the same, she should have stayed and faced up to her mistake

The race depends on people not being twats. No running alongside, no slapping the riders, keep your child well back, don't let the dog run into the path, don't let off flares (No, really). Etc.

@NotTheFunKindOfFeminist would you have the same view if it'd been a bloke who'd done it?

It was probably a split second, thoughtless decision when she saw the cameras, and didn't realise how close the cyclists were as she was facing the wrong way. They go at a phenomenal speed too, I was shocked at how fast they passed when I went to see them when the Tour de France was in Britain.
I'm not making excuses, just my observation, but I think the fact that she fled the scene shows she knows exactly how much trouble she is in and is probably terrified. I just hope she does the right thing now, albeit late, and hands herself in.

She deserves everything she gets and I will reserve my sympathy for the injured riders .

Blimey that's nuts. I've only read about this on MN - checked the guardian and it didn't seem to be there at all?? Sounds like front page news though

I've just seen the clip. Standing in the road during the race is worse than 'too close', it's downright dangerous.

It's awful for the athletes that have trained so hard for the event only to have it ruined by selfish actions. Especially those with injuries and damaged equipment.

If the reports that she fled the scene are true then I don't have any sympathy.

Imbecile but not intentional if foreseeable. Organisers too are possibly contributory negligent although pragmatically challenging to mitigate. Unnecessary as assumed chain reaction will avoid repeated incidents.

She was extremely reckless and caused a major accident - she wasn't even watching the race as she stood with her back to the cyclists just trying to get on TV

I am sure she must feel awful and quite terrified but I think she does need to take responsibility and let the French legal system run its course. Someone could have died; as it is riders suffered serious injuries as a result.

This while idiotic 'get me on tv' while the tour speeds by is getting worse and worse and things like this are just becoming inevitable.

You can't marshal the route - it's 100s of miles long. That's the beauty of it - you can just turn up and watch as the whole spectacle zips past in minutes (or seconds!).

@ClingFilmAndGafferTape

It was probably a split second, thoughtless decision when she saw the cameras, and didn't realise how close the cyclists were as she was facing the wrong way. They go at a phenomenal speed too, I was shocked at how fast they passed when I went to see them when the Tour de France was in Britain. I'm not making excuses, just my observation, but I think the fact that she fled the scene shows she knows exactly how much trouble she is in and is probably terrified. I just hope she does the right thing now, albeit late, and hands herself in.

When she'd already made the sign for her grandparents and waited for the camera to go past? You can't get more planned than that - well, obviously, other than checking the average speed that 60 odd blokes on bikes are moving at before leaping out with your back to them, that is.

She's lucky she didn't cause the death of anybody - not just the cyclists, the spectator who was twatted with a flying bike, for example.

I hope it costs her the maximum penalty because it was so fucking imbecilic.

I am a massive cycling fan. The TDF is the highlight of my year and we've travelled to many stages.

This woman is no fan. It wasn't a split second decision when she saw the camera. I still can't get over the fact that someone would wait for hours by the side of the road just to wave a sign for a split second in front of the camera.

It caused absolute carnage. Lots of riders today had visible wounds and bandages. It was a horrendous decision on her part and she should be made accountable.

It is impossible to cordon off/barrier the whole route. Marshalls/police can only do so much. This is one of the biggest sporting events of the year. It's free and you get to see world class elite athletes within touching distance. Thankfully the vast majority are sensible and respectful. This has highlighted what can happen when someone behaves in such a thoughtless manner. She had to be made an example of.

@User3253465621

Serves her right. It wasn't an accident because any normal person will realise the sign is far too wide and sticking into the road where cyclists are passing. It's akin to deciding to drive drunk and then seriously injuring or killing someone.

I actually came to see if there was any information

I can't see how this could be anything but malicious

No one can be that thick?

She did plan it - she was holding out a sign for the cameras to film. She should be prosecuted. You can't cause a major crash like that and there be no repercussions. Disgusting behaviour.

I'm amazed it hasn't happened before.

Why are there not barriers to prevent this happening when the outcomes are so serious for athletes? It could have been a child or someone with disabilities. For all we know, the villain of this incident is in the grip of some kind of manic episode. What she did was not normal.

I think organisers have a responsibility to idiot proof events.

Nope. She acted selfishly and recklessly and tens of cyclists are injured and financially impacted as a result. She should absolutely be held to account just as she would be if she’d caused a mass pile up of cars.

She’s not even supporting the race anyway, she’s gleaming to the camera man trying to show off a sign she made for her grandparents!

She just wanted to ‘be seen’
Shes achieved that !

I cant have sympathy for her

She has caused lots of injuries to bikers and spectators and tens of thousands of pounds of damage

If this was a male spectator that had done this in the women’s race, I wonder how much sympathy we’d have?

Obviously it was an outstanding act of stupidity, she didn’t intend to hurt people but in life, you still have to face the consequences of your actions, which includes when they are stupid but not malicious. You’ve got to be a complete plank not to realise you don’t hold up a placard in front of a bunch of cyclist barrelling towards you at high speed. As a cyclist myself, I don’t take kindly to people being inconsiderate, I’ve had a few crashes in my time and they’re not pleasant. You accept broken bits when it’s your own fault/lack of concentration etc but when someone causes you to have a bad accident just because of their own twattery, it’s hard to take.

Yes. Her grandparents. She was the most infuriating person in Europe yesterday (after Matt Hancock) but she was guilty of holding a sign for her grandparents in the wrong place. When I think of all the rapists, fraudsters and bullies who will walk away from whatever they did yesterday, I cannot get worked up about this.

About making her suffer, I mean. The crash was horrific.

@RainbowANDThunder

She just wanted to ‘be seen’ Shes achieved that !

I cant have sympathy for her

She has caused lots of injuries to bikers and spectators and tens of thousands of pounds of damage

I imagine she will hand herself in but ran off so she didn't get stomped on like when the XR guy was pulled off the train

If this is stupidity - and I doubt that - how are we making these people?!

She was there to be on TV not watching the race, that’s awful that she ran off and hasn’t handed her self in.

She recklessly endangered people’s lives. She needs the book throwing at her.

@Oliver899

Yes. Her grandparents. She was the most infuriating person in Europe yesterday (after Matt Hancock) but she was guilty of holding a sign for her grandparents in the wrong place. When I think of all the rapists, fraudsters and bullies who will walk away from whatever they did yesterday, I cannot get worked up about this.

Would you be worked up if anyone died or lost a limb?