Woman Hit By Motorcycle At Tour de France, Dies

BESANCON, France — A woman crossing the road during the Tour de France was killed Saturday when she was hit by a police motorcycle escorting riders. Two other fans were injured after the motorcycle skidded into them.

The accident happened in the early afternoon in Wittelsheim in eastern France during the 14th stage, a 124-mile route from Colmar to Besancon. A few breakaway riders had just ridden through the town center, Tour organizers said.

Organizers identified the victim as a 61-year-old woman. Race medical teams treated her immediately before emergency staffers arrived.

The accident happened 24 miles into the stage. After hitting the woman, the motorcycle skidded into two other fans. A 36-year-old complained of neck pain, and a 61-year-old broke a leg. They were taken to a hospital and are not in serious condition, Renard said. They were identified only by age.

Seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong expressed condolences to the woman's family on his Twitter feed.

"There's many close calls between riders and spectators ... Sad news. May she RIP," he wrote.

Lt. Col. Thierry Renard said the officer on the motorcycle was a member of France's elite Republican Guard and he was unable to avoid the woman.

The officer headed the Guard's "yellow flags" unit at the Tour, made up of experienced drivers, Tour director Christian Prudhomme said. Their job is to spot obstacles on the road and clear the path for the rider pack. The officers often drive at high speeds.

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Renard said he had no reason to question the driving of the motorcyclist, who had already worked on the Tour several times.

Tour organizers will use a previously scheduled commemoration before Sunday's 15th stage in Pontarlier to honor the woman. The minute of silence was already planned to remember a young cycling fan from the region who died in a car crash last month.

Deadly accidents are rare on the Tour de France. One boy was killed in 2000 and another in 2002 after being hit by sponsors' vehicles.

Tour organizers responded by reducing the number of sponsor vehicles on the course. For every race stage, an alternate itinerary is provided to relieve vehicle congestion.

"Security is the priority of Tour de France organizers," Prudhomme said. "There is absolutely no doubt about that."

Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux ordered a police inquiry and reminded spectators to take all precautions. A total of 23,000 police officers are deployed on the Tour.

The motorcycle accident came a day after two riders were slightly injured by shots from what French authorities suspect was an air rifle.

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Associated Press Writers Deborah Seward and Matthieu Wintrebert in Paris contributed to this report.

Comments

[angiemomma]

TdF spectators are often deliberately in the path of on-coming cyclists. They have been known to throw items (bottles of water, foam signs, etc...) at riders as they pass. There is little respect for the safety of the riders by many spectators. I feel for this woman and her family, but I don't blame the race officials or participants. The fans need to stay back and approach the roadside carefully.
A woman let her little dog run across the course two days ago and it appeared to be hit by a team car. The sad thing is, the woman's carelessness could have seriously hurt a cyclist.

[FZliveson]

Angiemomma: You say; "The sad thing is, the woman's carelessness could have seriously hurt a cyclist."

The sad thing is that people were injured and 1-killed.
Cyclists are just people too.
What's your point if you have one?

[NoMercy]

The point would be that the cyclists are doing what they are supposed to, and she was doing something she was not supposed to.

Therefore, she was, regretably, in the wrong, in a purely legal sense.

BTW, every spectator knows that you are not to cross the road until the last van passes.

[rbndc]

I think angiemomma meant the woman who let her dog run across the course could have hurt a cyclist.

Not the woman who walked across the road and was hit by a motorcycle could have hurt a cyclist.

[Stilts9]

I'm surprised how little respect is shown these riders by roadside fans.

It's embarrassing.

[sushi27]

Ah, the french!

[Name Not In Use]

As I recall, they said "Don't invade Iraq. It's a bad idea and we are not going to help you do it."

[kapalabhati]

Considering the spectators are from all over the world, even America, kinda like a coalition of the willing, this comment reveals your misunderstanding of the TdF.

[rbndc]

Right, because the most popular sporting event in Europe, that runs through other countries besides France, only has French people attending it.

[Stilts9]

I'll tell you this, if I were a rider in that race I'd want to punch those obnoxious fans in the frickin' nose! And there is a lot of obnoxiousness going on.

Clowns.

[PepeLepew]

Every once in a while, you see a rider take a swipe.

[kapalabhati]

Most of the time, they don't even notice the fans running out on the course. The riders are there doing their job, getting from point A to point B as fast as humanly possible.

[ObamaYouBetcha]

How sad. We watch obsessively every year and are always amazed that many spectators and fans aren't killed each year. High speed racers, high speed "escorts" racing through towns or mountain passes, with fans leaping out from the sidelines and running along the path - recipe for disaster.

It will be interesting to learn more about the circumstances. Can't imagine the woman was unaware of the Tour de France coming to town and just happening to walk across the road.

[f0rTyLeGz]

It's not like the Tour's passing through town is a surprise to the local people. Preparation would have been going on for weeks. This accident is tragic, but one of the great things about the Tour is the danger that the people can reach out and touch.

[glitzqueen]

Did anybody else pay attention to these lines? "Their (the guards') job is to spot obstacles on the road and clear the path for the rider pack. The officers often drive at high speeds... One boy was killed in 2000 and another in 2002 after being hit by sponsors' vehicles."

Since when are a "rider pack," sponsors and hotdog motorcycle guards more entitled to use the public streets than the public? If concessions are made to let special interests take over local infrastructure temporarily for a profit-making event,, the least they can do is send more cautious advance teams early enough that they aren't out of control enough to kill and injure people.

This is appalling! The woman killed might well have had no interest in the race at all and simply been going about her daily business in her hometown, but it's really immaterial whether she there waiting to watch the riders or not. The proper job of police is to protect people, not clear them away as "obstacles­."

[serialcoma]

I don't think you have a clear understanding of how a major cycling stage race is conducted.­. it would be impossible for that woman to not have known what was going on - this is the 96th TdF... it brings enormous amounts of money to the countries and towns it passes through and, in all honesty, due to the nature of pro cycling and how these races are conducted the fans are often the biggest hazard to the riders....

Also, and in no way am I diminishing the the tragedy of the woman's death, but she has a responsibility to be careful and not just walk out into the street....

[f0rTyLeGz]

Exactly!

[kapalabhati]

Thank you. This is a tragedy, without doubt, but this was preventable.

[Tecumseh]

The roads are closed to public traffic during the Tour. Watch on the Versus network to get an idea of the situation. It makes as much sense for that woman to cross the street as the Tour goes by as it does to cross the street in Pamplona during the running of the bulls.

[GoDogGo]

Glitzqueen, you haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about. The Tour de France is a national treasure that EVERYONE in France knows about. No one walks into the street not realizing there's a bike race. The mere presence of the route near her village was major, major news there.

I think the proximity of cars and motorcycles to the racers is an issue, as are drunk spectators. But to suggest that "hot dog" motorcyclists and bike riders for this legendary cultural event are somehow not entitled to use public roads for the Tour de France is positively idio tic.

[glitzqueen]

"National treasure" -- oh, puh-leeze. When looking for those in France, I'll stick to the Louvre. I'm no sports fan, obviously. But I'm also no idiot. And I stick to what I said about the obligations of police to the public welfare.

[ThinkCreeps]

Hasselbeck not looking where she's going again?

[Palemoon]

Sounds as if the policeman was showing a complete disregard for procedure. If there is no crime in progress, there's no sense of impending doom type of urgency, you DO NOT put the public's life in danger by behaving in a reckless manner around them. This was a completely preventable death.

[FZliveson]

Your compassion is touching, Palemoon. Tell me, are you one of those people who looks at every pregnant woman and says to yourself; "There is a completely preventable life?" (I'll put money on it.)

[boomer59]

Maybe now the radio brohaha will become a moot point!

[PepeLepew]

I'm amazed more spectators ... and cyclists ... aren't killed with all the team vehicles and motorcycles, etc.

[martiniandabotoxchaser]

I was at the Tour de France about a week and a half ago...the sponsor cars and police motorcycles move through the streets at a brisk pace...pre­paring the fans for the fast pace of the riders and still people insist on standing in front of them. I was shocked at how close the fans come to the riders; frankly obstructing them and affecting the way they ride. Because of the distances covered, it is impossible to set up barricades. Fans need to learn to step back.

[Palemoon]

Doesn't even say she was a spectator. The TdF often goes through many villages, towns and cities as it winds it's way across France. Maybe she was trying to get across the road to get to a market or to get home from work? She was crossing the street, not standing in the street.

[swimbiker]

No, she was crossing a race course. For, at that time and in that place, it no longer was "just a street."

[escobar]

She may have been push or as you suggest, too self absorbed to stay alive as the race everyone else agreed upon was happening, again.
. She have just been really high.
I bet she was pushed.

[MachCrit]

At least the deceased's estate won't be suing the Tour Directors, et al. Even post WWII, the Italians hosted the Mille Miglia auto road race though the whole country with cars going through villages at 150mph--no guard rails, baricades or law suits--how refreshing!

[NWRICK]

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=1125977&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US

[DrToketee]

If this bloodbath continues ... I'll start watching!

[Progress08]

It's the Tour de France are you sure it wasn't suicide.

[AddyGmom]

Tour de France is more exciting than a 1-0 soccer game.

[PepeLepew]

It's more exciting than golf or NASCAR, or a midseason hockey match between the Islanders and Sabres.

[Palemoon]

Oh, I beg to differ with that, the most exciting game I have ever seen in sport, period, was the 1-0 victory by Manchester United over league leading Newcastle United during the 95/96 English Premier League season. This game had it all, fast action, more drama and suspense than a week's worth of soaps and telenovela's combined, and more action than Hollywood has put out in it's history. The game had it all, plus one of the loudest, most raucous crowds in a sold out, overflow stadium. Even the players were in awe at the start at the thunderous roar.

And then, my fave part, the cast of good looking men. Eric "The King" Cantona, David Ginola, Petr Schmeichel, David Beckham (wearing #23 as a substitute late in game), Rio Ferdinand, Peter Beardsley.

It was scoreless til almost the end, many, many near-misses, up and down the field action. But then, finally, a cross found Cantona for a finishing strike and The King puts mighty Man U up 1-0 and everyone in the crowd, including me at home, had a simultaneous orgasm. That's the way the game finished and is now legend. Best Game Ever!!

Perhaps only rivaled by Mika "The Babe" Hakkinen's famous three-wide "pass in the grass" at over 195mph on Michael Schumacher at the end of the Belgian Gran Prix in 2000.

[Lionel De Mun]

I live in France and I am witness of the dangerous behaviour of motorbikes and mopeds drivers in that country, and the worse thing is that Police doesn't give a damn (more interested in issuing fines to car drivers because they don't have their safety belt on).

[in4success]

so pretty much just like here in america.

[myarmsaregreen]

Yeah, America just sucks. We really should be blown off the earth in a fire ball.

[FZliveson]

WRONG in4success. The French police play the accordion, WHILE they are speeding and giving seat-belt citations. They do not do that in America.

[Sandmanj]

How is this the motocycle cop's fault???

The woman tried to cross a road she shouldn't have been on, and according to the article, the motorcycle cop couldn't avoid hitting her. If he was "helping supervise the race" he was probably distracted by the event when she entered the road.

[vinny]

i'm thinking its the responsibility of the tour to properly cordon off the area rather than using motorbikes to run over people

[HelloooCanada]

what are you talking about? the motorcycle was part of the tour, not some kid on a roundabout, she - like thousands of other idiots along the route - was probably acting irresponsiby and endangering the riders and the people on the bikes. i feel worse for the policeman (who now has to live with the fact that his bike killed someone) and the two other injured people than her.

they ought to send a car infront of each group of riders with a cow catcher on it...

[Yank in France]

Yes, motorcycles and scooters often drive erratically in France -- so erratically that it would be hard for an American to comprehend (e.g. driving on the wrong side of street, on sidewalks, burning red lights, etc.), but that has nothing to do with the Tour de France bicycle race where cyclists are supposed to go fast and pedestrians are supposed to stay out of the way!!