A Stage with No Winners? The étoile de Bessèges is Off to a Rocky Start

Road season is here already, and not just in Australia for the Tour Down Under. No, racing has begun all over the world, and the five-day étoile de Bessèges began yesterday with an individual time trial. But on Stage 2, disaster struck in the form of a major crash at the head of the race that not only took the leaders out, it caused the peloton to be neutralized with 22 kilometers to go as ambulances and emergency vehicles surged onto the course.

With all the medical vehicles being used to deal with the riders on the ground, the race officials were forced to neutralize the rest of the field, deeming it unsafe for riders to continue with no emergency vehicles on the road.

You can see the massive pileup happening as the road narrows and the riders go over a bridge. Most terrifying is TotalEnergies rider Valentin Ferron, who is seen dangling from the side of the bridge.

It’s hard to see clearly in the video, but Ferron is almost fully off the bridge, clinging to the side so he doesn’t plunge into the water. Riders around him were on the ground, trapped under bikes and each other, and unable to immediately help him. He eventually was able to pull himself to safety, proving that yes, even top road cyclists require at least a little upper body strength!

Thankfully, TotalEnergies later tweeted that the riders were feeling ‘more fear than harm,’ and Ferron is fine.

So far, it seems as though most of the riders in the crash will be on the startline tomorrow, though a few are still being checked for injuries. At this point, Stage 1 winner Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dsnty) remains in the leader’s jersey as there were no winners in Stage 2.

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