Ineos apologise after hitting spectator with support car during Tour de France
The car was in pursuit of its Dutch rider and eventual stage winner Thymen Arensman on the Col de Peyresourde, one of four major climbs during Saturday's stage 14 in the Pyrenees.
The car appeared to be passing a motorbike as it took a wide line on the road before hitting a fan who had been filming the riders as they passed, knocking them to the floor.
The race jury later said Ineos Grenadiers sports director Oliver Cookson was fined 5,000 Swiss francs (£4,300) for "improper behaviour endangering spectators" and handed a yellow card. Accumulating yellow cards over a defined period of time results in a suspension.
La voiture d'@INEOSGrenadiers a percuté un spectateur dans la montée de Peyresourde.#TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/Bvj5eBayP8
— Paul Moutarde (@PaulMoutarde) July 19, 2025
Local police are investigating the incident.
Ineos Grenadiers said: 'Our thoughts and sincere apologies go out to the fan who was accidentally and regretfully hit by one of our race cars while supporting the riders during today's stage.
'Like all teams we take great care to maintain a safe race environment for everyone - including the passionate fans who make our sport so special.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tour de France announces route change to Stage 19 to avoid herd of diseased cows
The Tour de France is taking a short detour on Friday, as the competition enters its third to last day. In an unusual move, the organization announced Thursday that the route for Friday's Stage 19 will follow an altered route in order to avoid a herd of diseased cattle. The Tour de France clarified in the announcement that as a result of the illness (an outbreak of contagious nodular dermatitis), the farmers will have to cull the herd to stop the spread of disease. The choice to move the route is done both to help the race move more smoothly and also, per the Tour, "in light of the distress experienced by the affected farmers." The herd is located in the Col des Saisies, a mountain pass that is normally part of the route from Albertville to La Plagne, two mountain towns in western France. Stage 19 is the sixth and final mountain stage of the 23-day race. The changed route, which bypasses the Col des Saisies, shortens the route significantly, from 129.9 kilometers to 95 kilometers. Cyclists will still start in Albertville, and will travel seven kilometers before peeling off to rejoin the original route near Beaufort. The race will begin at 2:30 p.m. local time, one hour later than originally scheduled. Stage 18, another mountainous stage in the French Alps, took riders from Vif to Courchevel on Thursdays. Australian Ben O'Connor finished first in Thursday with a time of 05:03:47. After 18 stages, Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar currently leads all riders with a time of 66:55:42. After Friday's shortened Stage 19, the race will take two more stages. First, Stage 20 will take riders from Nantua to Pontarlier in a hilly race. Then, on Sunday, the cyclists will conclude with a flat race from Mantes-La-Ville to Paris, with the iconic ending at the Champs-Élysées.
NBC Sports
5 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Highlights: 2025 Tour de France, Stage 18
Relive the action from Stage 18 of the 2025 Tour de France, where riders raced 171.5km through the mountains on the Queen Stage from Vif to Courchevel Col de la Loze.
NBC Sports
5 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Ineos-Grenadiers staff member David Rozman leaves Tour de France over doping allegation links
COURCHEVEL, France — Ineos-Grenadiers soigneur David Rozman has left the Tour de France in the wake of media reports linking him to disgraced German doctor Mark Schmidt, the convicted head of an international blood doping ring. Rozman 'has stepped back from race duties and has left the Tour,' Ineos-Grenadiers said in a statement provided to The Associated Press on Thursday, noting that Rozman had received a request from the International Testing Agency (ITA) to attend an interview. It comes following reports alleging Rozman exchanged incriminating text messages with Schmidt going back to June 2012. Ineos-Grenadiers was racing as Team Sky at the time, when Rozman worked with 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins, and Chris Froome, who won four Tour titles with the British team. There was no suggestion any of them engaged in illegal activity. Soigneurs are part of the support team staff, with a focus on the riders' welfare. Schmidt was convicted of treating cyclists and winter-sports athletes with blood doping for years at the culmination of the Operation Aderlass criminal investigation in 2021. Schmidt, who previously worked for the Gerolsteiner cycling team, was accused of violating drug and doping laws in nearly 150 cases from his medical practice in Erfurt, Germany. German broadcaster ARD linked Rozman – without specifically naming him – to Schmidt in a documentary aired last month, when it alleged that a man working for Ineos-Grenadiers had in 2012 exchanged incriminating messages with Schmidt according to chat logs from the Operation Aderlass trial in Munich. Journalist Paul Kimmage, a former rider, subsequently named Rozman in a piece he wrote for the Irish Independent newspaper, and other outlets followed suit. Ineos-Grenadiers said Thursday it was aware of the allegations but had not received any evidence nor had it been asked to take part in any inquiry. It said Rozman was informally contacted by an ITA staff member in April 2025 'about alleged historical communications' and Rozman immediately notified the team. 'Although the ITA assured David at the time that he was not under investigation, Ineos promptly commissioned a thorough review by an external law firm,' the team said. 'The team has acted responsibly and with due process, taking the allegations seriously whilst acknowledging that David is a long-standing, dedicated member of the team. The team continues to assess the circumstances and any relevant developments, and has formally requested any relevant information from the ITA.'
