Several fans were reportedly injured at the finish of yesterday’s Tour de France stage, from Malemort to Ussel, after a car crashed into the barriers protecting the final kilometre of the course.
According to Road.cc, the car was carrying journalists working for L'Équipe, a French newspaper.
L'Équipe itself later reported that eight people, who had been standing behind the barriers waiting to watch the race finish, were injured in the incident – and that two of them were taken to hospital.
The French newspaper also says the local authorities have opened an investigation into the incident.
Earlier this morning, Renaud Breban posted a dramatic photo on X.com showing the extent of the damage to the front of the car. A section of the barricades also appears to be tangled up in the front left wheel.
Amazingly, the incident didn’t disrupt the eventual race finish, which was won by Alpecin-Premier Tech’s Mathieu van der Poel.
Barriers were re-erected around the car, enabling the stage to proceed as normal.
The incident nevertheless serves as a reminder of the dangers of having the Tour Caravan and its many vehicles on the course.
It’s not the first time such an accident has occurred, either. In 2013, an Orica GreenEdge team bus got “wedged” under the finish line gantry in what The Guardian described as a "disastrous" first stage of that year’s Tour.
Although the cause of this particular incident remains unknown, the first week of this year's Tour de France has been marred by extreme heat, with race-leader and defending champion, Tadej Pogačar, calling for cycling's professional calendar to be overhauled in light of this.
More on the 2026 Tour de France
- "It’s becoming hotter and hotter every year": how the Tour de France is battling extreme heat
- UCI changes Tour de France rules in light of extreme heat
- The Tour de France has lost some of its magic – and that could spell trouble for cycling’s future
- Forget VO2 max – a Tour de France cyclist's defining quality is their frightening capacity to suffer
- Who is Isaac del Toro? 4 things you need to know about the Mexican who could be a future Tour de France winner
- A Tour de France breakaway only has a 2% chance of winning, so why join one?
- Every team bike at the 2026 Tour de France
