During Sunday’s stage one of the Tour Cycliste Antenne Reunion, a nine-day race taking place on the French island of Reunion, a man knocked over a large, metal barrier in the middle of a road the cyclists were about to pass – causing several of the bikers to crash at high-speed.
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As the peloton arrived in the northwestern commune of Le Port, rivals Enzo Bernard and Jonathan Boyer were sprinting shoulder to shoulder when both fell badly after hitting a security barrier. That didn’t make much sense, since Jonathan is apparently still in the hospital with broken ribs and head trauma, per local outlet Orange.
Brad Potgieter and David Riviere slammed into the barriers, notes Cycling News; Potgieter suffered a broken collarbone.
Bernard later tweeted that Boyer got entangled in his [Bernard’s] handlebars. A child spectator also needed treatment after the tip of his thumb was severed as he stood at the barrier the two cyclists crashed into.
Jean-Bernard Boyer – dad of French rider Jonathan Boyer – was arrested by police after his unsafe act of sabotage and has been hit with a €300 fine. “And a fool who puts the lives of athletes in danger”.
[Jean-Bernard] caused a crash of six riders, with four others able to avoid the barriers and reach the finish line.
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Event officials released a statement to declare the stage was cancelled and no official times will be recorded from the ride. All the other riders were not able to reach the line before being diverted into the team parking area.
