The fifth stage of the first all-female Tour de France descended into mayhem Thursday after heaps of riders fell into a mega pile-up just 45 kilometers from the day’s finish line.
All it took was for one of the cyclists to fall off her bike shortly before the conclusion of the 175-kilometer ride for a majority of the others to crash into her, the New York Post reported. Riders had allegedly started to sprint up their pace leading into the final stage in the Vosges mountains, which would take place the next day, the outlet noted.
So many of the riders were entangled in the pile-up that eventually the whole road was blocked, the outlet continued. Some were able to hop back up and continue the course, while others required medical treatment. At least one rider was rushed to hospital with a broken collarbone, the outlet noted.
Eurosport shared footage of the pile-up, including the moment when one rider’s fall appeared to take out countless others. (RELATED: Insane Images Show Passenger Plane After It Flipped Upside Down On The Runway)
The all-female Tour de France started June 24 at the Eiffel Tower in Paris and will end June 31 at La Super Planche des Belles Filles, according to the tour’s official website. The route is designed to increase in difficulty over the eight days of the race as riders navigate three major regions of the country, the site noted.