Tour de France incidents injure fans and highlight concussion protocol challenges

A vehicle carrying journalists for L’Équipe lost control on the finish straight of the Tour de France in Ussel, France, crashing through safety barriers and injuring eight spectators, two of whom were hospitalized. French authorities opened an investigation into the crash.

During the same race, three riders withdrew after being diagnosed with concussion: Frenchman Clément Berthet after the opening team time trial, Dutch rider Alex Molenaar after a crash on stage five, and Norway’s Torstein Traeen after a fall on the descent of the Col du Tourmalet. UCI medical director Xavier Bigard said, “It is never very satisfactory for us to see riders diagnosed with concussion after they have resumed racing.” Groupama‑FDJ’s medical director Mathieu Le Strat added that “the roadside protocol is much shorter,” underscoring the difficulty of assessing head injuries in real time.