Tour of Turkey: Nacer Bouhanni injured by passer-by in second stage

CYCLING – His injury forces him to return to France. During the second stage of the Tour of Turkey next Monday 11 April Nacer Bouhanni a serious fall caused by a passer-by in the middle of the road.

On Monday evening Arkéa-Samsic, the team of sprinter Frenchman announced in a medical bulletin that his runner cyclist suffered a fracture of the first cervical vertebra after this fall which occurred 61 kilometers from the finish. He was forced to abandon the race.

After being treated at Izmir hospital in Turkey, Nacer Bouhanni will finally be repatriated to France for treatment, his team also said.

On this stage that linked Selçuk with Alaçati in Turkeythe disaster occurred around kilometer 97. As can be seen from the footage of the race, filmed from the edge of the road, a person rushed onto the road as the pack appears to be arriving at high speed on this straight line at the coast.

Apparently not very interested in the race going on right behind him, the passerby or “spectator” – especially distracted – seems to wave his hand just before colliding with the many runners blocking the way. On the right we also see a person dressed in a fluorescent yellow jacket who seems to warn of the approaching danger.

An eternal debate on the safety of runners

This heavy fall will in any case have caused quite a break in the peloton. Especially for the team of Nacer Bouhanni. His teammate Kevin Ledanois, who was also involved this fall, suffered left knee trauma and thoracic spine pain. And like his compatriot, he will not come to the start of the third stage.

Which is reviving the debate about the safety of runners, while the Tour de France begins its big loop in less than four months, on July 1.

Last year, a spectator holding up a sign had caused a very impressive fall during the first stage of the Tour de France 2021, even encouraging riders to express their dissatisfaction with their safety on the road.

After this monstrous fall, the peloton had decided to symbolically dismount for a minute during the 4th stage, surpassed by the repeated falls due to incidents with the spectators.

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