A woman is in custody after being arrested by police in France in relation to a major crash on the Tour de France last Saturday.
Live race footage showed a spectator stepping out on the course holding a homemade cardboard sign as the peloton was approaching during stage one of the Tour.
Tony Martin, from the German Jumbo-Visma team, crashed into the sign before taking the whole peloton down with him just 45km away from the finish line.
German rider, Jasha Sütterlin (DSM), had to retire due to injuries suffered in the crash. Marc Soler (Movistar) completed the stage before withdrawing the next morning with fractures in both arms while the race doctor had to see to another eight riders.
According to RTL, the woman arrested by police on Wednesday is in police custody in Landerneau, Brittany - where stage one ended - and is facing a fine of €1,500 although the punishment could be more serious if Sütterlin decides to file an official complaint.
I hope no one is badly injured
— daniel mcmahon (@cyclingreporter) June 26, 2021
The sign that caused all of the carnage read 'Allez Opi-Omi' (a German term of endearment for grandparents).
Martin spoke after the stage had finished on Saturday and accused the perpetrator of not showing respect to the riders on the Tour de France.
"We had everything under control until the crash," Martin said. "I brought the guys to the front via the right side of the road, but crashed into the sign of the spectator.
"It all happened very quickly; suddenly almost the entire team was on the ground. Many spectators behave respectfully, but unfortunately not this one. Fortunately, Primoz came through it well. I hope the physical damage to myself and the other guys is manageable."
During Stage 4 of the Tour on Monday, riders staged a protest in reaction to crashes on Stage 1 and 3 - stopping at kilometre zero after the neutral start before riding the first 10 kilometres of the 150-kilometre sprint stage from Redon to Fougères at a slow pace.
