Jakob Fuglsang knocked off by a motorbike during Tour de France stage 18 (video)

Motorbike narrowly misses Ryder Hesjedal before clipping Jakob Fuglsang during stage 18 of the Tour de France

Live television pictures of stage 18 of the Tour de France showed Danish rider Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) mysteriously crashing as he rode at the front of the escape group on the Col du Glandon. No apparent reason for the crash could be seen as he veered out of shot.

However, video emerged via Danish channel TV 2 SPORT after the stage finished showing a photographer's motorbike nearly taking out Ryder Hesjedal (Cannondale-Garmin) before clipping Fuglsang on his right-hand side and sending him crashing to the ground.

See more

Fuglsang sustained a cut to his arm as a result of the incident, but remounted and managed to get back in touch with the lead group to finish the stage in fifth place behind winner Romain Bardet (Ag2r).

Ryder HEsjedal narrowly avoids being hit by a motorcycle on stage 18 of the 2015 Tour de France

Ryder Hesjedal narrowly avoids being hit by a motorcycle on stage 18 of the 2015 Tour de France

Narrow mountain roads give very little margin of error for vehicles passing in among riders, but in this instance it seems that the moto pilot is simply not paying attention with two incidents in close succession.

It's certainly not the first time that a rider has been taken out by a vehicle in the Tour. Few Tour followers can forget the stage of the 2011 race when a France TV car hit Johnny Hoogerland while he was riding in an escape group, catapulting him into barbed wire. Hoogerland sustained deep lacerations, but memorably managed to finish the stage.

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.