Two Tour de France riders survive being hit by a car

Added by Erik West on July 10, 2011

Two Tour de France riders survive after being hit by a car on Sunday. Juan Antonio Flecha of Spain and Johnny Hoogerland of the Netherlands were hit by a car travelling with the peloton.

The car was travelling at the front of the peloton when it appeared to swerve to avoid a tree at the side of the narrow roadway. Hoogerland was bumped by the side of the car, and was sent into the air, tumbling several times before landing next to a fence at the side of the road. Flecha, hit by Hoolerland as he fell, also fell to the ground at speed.

The car, which appeared to be part of a French television crew, drove onwards as the pair fell. The two cyclists were leading the peloton, which was not affected by the incident.

Flecha got up and continued the race almost immediately, yet Hoogerland required several minutes to recover.

This is the stage’s second accident. Earlier a large crash in the peloton forced Jurgen van den Broeck and Alexandre Vinokourov. And David Zabriskie, and Frederik Wilems to abandon the race.