A woman crossing the road during the Tour de France was killed on Saturday when she was hit by a police motorcycle escorting riders. Two other fans were injured after the motorcycle skidded into them.
The accident happened in the small town of Wittelsheim in the Alsace region of eastern France.
It occurred during the race’s 14th stage, a 199km route from Colmar to Besancon, after a few breakaway riders had just ridden through the town center, Tour organizers said.
Lieutenant Colonel Thierry Renard said the officer on the motorcycle was a member of France’s elite Republican Guard and that he was unable to avoid the woman.
The officer headed the Guard’s “yellow flags” unit at the Tour, made up of experienced drivers, Tour director Christian Prudhomme said. Their job is to spot obstacles on the road and clear the path for the rider pack. The officers often drive at high speeds.
“This is one of the most experienced drivers on the Tour who unfortunately was unable to avoid the woman,” Prudhomme said.
Renard said he had no reason to question the driving of the motorcyclist, who had already worked on the Tour “several times” in the past.
Tour organizers, in a statement, identified the victim only as a 61-year-old woman. Race medical teams treated her immediately before emergency staffers intervened, it said.
After hitting the woman, the motorcycle skidded into two other fans. A 36-year-old complained of neck pain, and a 61-year-old broke a leg.
They were taken to hospital and are not in serious condition, Renard said. They were not identified by gender.
Tour organizers said they would use a previously scheduled commemoration before yesterday’s 15th stage in Pontarlier to honor the woman.
The minute of silence was already planned to remember a young cycling fan from the region who died in a car crash last month.
Deadly accidents are not common on the Tour de France course route. One boy was killed in 2000 and another in 2002 after being hit by sponsors’ vehicles.
Tour organizers responded by reducing the number of sponsor vehicles allowed on the course. For every race stage, an alternative itinerary is provided to relieve vehicle congestion on the course.
“Security is the priority of Tour de France organizers,” Prudhomme said. “There is absolutely no doubt about that.”
Seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong expressed condolences to the victim’s family on his Twitter feed.
“There’s many close calls between riders and spectators ... Sad news. May she RIP,” he wrote.
French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux ordered a police inquiry and reminded spectators to take all precautions to avoid accidents.
A total of 23,000 police officers are deployed on the Tour.
The motorcycle accident came a day after two riders were slightly injured by shots from what French authorities suspect was an air rifle.
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