On Bastille Day, storming fans spark chaos at Tour de France

Associated Press

MONT VENTOUX, France

On Bastille Day, fans created havoc at the Tour de France like never before.

Storming the road on France’s national day, the crowd prompted a crash involving race leader Chris Froome and it wasn’t until hours after the wacky 12th stage concluded that organizers decided the British rider could keep the yellow jersey.

“Mont Ventoux always throws up something different and today was no exception,” Froome said. “You always have to expect the unexpected at the Tour.”

In a complete embarrassment for cycling’s biggest race, Richie Porte crashed headfirst into a motorbike carrying a TV camera, and Froome, who was right behind his former teammate, also hit the pavement in the final kilometer on the wind-shortened climb up legendary Mont Ventoux.

“The crowd was just all on the road, and a motorbike stopped right in front of us and we had nowhere to go,” Porte said. “The next minute, I went straight over the top of the motorbike. It was just a mess.”

Last week, Froome punched the face of a spectator who got too close to the race.

“I agree that you come to the race, you have a good time, but you don’t need to be running beside the riders, you don’t need to hitting riders, pushing riders,” said Porte, who was being examined for possible injuries. “Things have got to change, and I can’t believe there weren’t barriers there.”

The wind prevented organizers from erecting the usual barriers at the end of most stages, Tour director Christian Prudhomme explained.

“We took an exceptional decision because of this exceptional situation, an incident that might have never happened before in 100 years,” Prudhomme said. “There will be an investigation to find out why the TV motorbike was blocked and the riders fell.”

After the crash, Froome threw his mangled bike aside and began running up the road. He eventually was given a small yellow race assistance bike before his team car was finally able to provide him with a suitable substitute.

All of Froome’s main rivals crossed ahead of him, and Froome shook his head in disbelief when he finally reached the finish.

“It’s really unfortunate what happened in the last couple of kilometers,” Froome said, “but ultimately common sense has prevailed and the commissaires have come to the right decision, so I would like to thank them for that.”

As Froome ran through the crowds, he attempted to communicate with his team via radio but the crowds prevented the Team Sky car from reaching him.

“It was a nightmare,” Sky sports director Nicolas Portal said. “It took up to two minutes for him to get a spare bike but the pedals did not suit him. ... I can’t understand how so many people were allowed there. It was mayhem.”

Before the crash, Froome dropped most of his rivals apart from Porte and Bauke Mollema.

The race jury eventually decided to give Froome and Porte the same stage time as Mollema.

Still, Froome was booed and whistled at when he put the yellow jersey back on during the podium ceremony.

Froome, who is seeking his third Tour title in four years, increased his overall lead to 47 seconds ahead of fellow British rider Adam Yates.

Two-time runner-up Nairo Quintana was third, 54 seconds behind, and Mollema moved up to fourth, 56 seconds back.