Tour de France spectator hit by INEOS-Grenadiers team car

By Jamie Barton and Amy Woodyatt, CNN

(CNN) — A spectator at the Tour de France was hit and knocked to the ground by an INEOS-Grenadiers car during the 14th stage of the race on Saturday, TV footage appeared to show.

The incident occurred on the Col de Peyresourde mountain pass in the central Pyrenees, about 200 meters from the crest of the hill, according to Reuters. The car was driving in the middle of the road when it struck the spectator.

The condition of the spectator is not yet known. CNN has reached out to INEOS-Grenadiers and the Tour de France for comment.

Oliver Cookson, the INEOS directeur sportif who was driving the car, was handed a fine of 5,000 Swiss francs ($6,200) by the race jury for “incorrect behaviour that endangered spectators,” the Tour de France said in a statement afterward.

Cookson was also given a yellow card – effectively a warning before further sanction – by the jury.

Spectators lining the route of cycling’s most famous race is part of the Tour’s unique atmosphere – but this means that incidents involving those standing on the roadside are relatively common – two years ago, a number of riders fell after a fan apparently tried to take a picture during Stage 15.

Meanwhile, in 2021, a fan stepped in front of the peloton holding a cardboard sign, causing dozens of cyclists to crash during the Tour.

INEOS rider Thymen Arensman claimed his first stage win in Saturday’s race, with Tadej Pogačar extending his overall lead by finishing second, one place ahead of his closest challenger, Jonas Vingegaard.

Olympic gold medalist Remco Evenepoel was forced to abandon the race after struggling on the first climb of the stage.

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