Cyclist left hanging from bridge after horror crash as stage is cancelled

03 February 2023 , 11:31

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One rider was left hanging onto a bridge in the horrifying crash

A cyclist was left desperately clinging onto the side of a bridge after a horrifying crash during a major race in France.

Dozens of riders were stuck in a pile-up following the huge crash - which caused stage two of the Star of Besseges race to be abandoned.

The shock incident occurred around 22km from the finishing line in the second stage of the five-day event. Riders touched wheels as the track narrowed on a funnelling bridge, causing chaos with several bikers felled.

And TotalEnergies team rider Valentin Ferron was caught in danger on the bridge as he hung onto the wall to avoid a fall into a ravine.

Ferron appeared to have been thrown off the bridge wall in the crash and had to improvise quickly as he used his upper body strength to save himself from a fall.

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And the almighty pile-up caused a lengthy delay as medical support vehicles assisted the fallen cyclists.

Organisers helped drivers get back onto their feet as riders including Ferron were treated for minor injuries, but there were no serious injuries reported after the dangerous collisions.

Valentin Ferron was clinging onto the side of the bridge during the stage two pile-up

It had, however, become a challenge for medical responders to reach the scene of the crash, with those not caught-up pressing on for a strong finish.

And the decision was eventually taken by organisers to "neutralise" the race as it was concluded that there was simply not enough medical support to cope with the possibility of further accidents later on in the day.

The event had run out of spare medics and ambulances as a result of the crash, meaning it was no longer safe for the stage to be completed. Remaining riders cruised the final 22km to the finishing line with the cancelled stage left without a winner.

Lotto Dsnty's Belgian rider Arnaud De Lie therefore maintained his lead heading into day three of the early-season road race on Friday after his victory in stage one.

Ben Parsons