Crashing First Tour de France Stage

The first stage in the world’s most famous cycling race, the Tour de France, ended on a disastrous note, with several favorites out of the running due to injuries incurred in a multi-bike pile up just before the finishing line.

Confusion reigned when an Orica GreenEdge bus got stuck under the finishing line as the teams were hurtling in to finish the first stage of the race.  Unable to move the bus, organizers rushed to move the finishing line instead, causing mass confusion among the cyclers who were unsure where they were actually meant to end.

Omega Pharma-Quickstep team member, Tony Martin, seemed to buckle six kilometers before the finish line and as his bike slipped and skidded, he caused a spectacular pileup, as bike after bike came crashing down around him.

The Isle of Man born favorite, Mark Cavendish who rides for Omega, described the scene as “carnage” with several riders injured enough to keep them out of the next stage of the race.   Tony Martin is said to have lost consciousness on his way to receive medical treatment, and will almost definitely end his Tour de France efforts this year.

Alberto Contador, second favorite in the race, injured his shoulder and elbow, but put on a brave face for the media, saying: “It hurts for sure. But the Tour is the Tour. These things happen.”

The first stage was eventually won by the German Marcel Kittel, although because of the confusion, everyone was given the same finish time.

Mark Cavendish was less forgiving – possibly because he missed out on wearing the famous yellow jersey – and blamed the organizers for the pile-up. “We were hearing in the radios with 5k to go the finish was in 2k,” he said. “Then a kilometre later, it’s at the finish. It was carnage. I’m lucky I didn’t come down. Some of my team-mates are a lot worse.”