The spectator who caused one of the worst crashes in Tour de France history has finally learned her fate.
Despite jumping on a plane and going on the run after the horror incident, the woman somehow avoided prison time and ended up copping a 1200 euro fine.
The perpetrator, whose identity was withheld after she was subject to online abuse, appeared in a court in Brest facing serious charges of endangering lives and causing unintentional injuries after dozens of cyclists were hurt in the opening day crash earlier this year.
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Prosecutors were asking the judge for a four-month suspended jail sentence, the woman herself admitting that she felt ashamed at her sheer "stupidity".
The spectator's lawyer also argued that his client had a "fragile personality for many years".
Now, less than six months since the scary moment, and the woman seems to have ducked any criminal charges, escaping with just a fine.
Back in June, the opening day of the prestigious Tour de France race was marred when we witnessed perhaps the nastiest crash in recent years.
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Complete and utter chaos erupted during Stage 1 when Tony Martin appeared to come off his bike near the front of the peloton.
At first glance, it looked like Martin's tyres simply slipped but damning replays later revealed exactly what caused of it.
When slow-mos played on the broadcast, they showed Martin colliding with a spectator who was leaning onto the road while holding up a hand-written banner, which read "Allez, Opi-Omi", meaning "grandpa and granny."
And when the helpless Martin came off his bicycle, this sparked a domino effect of fellow riders also crashing at full speed onto the hard tarmac.
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Martin's fall at rapid speeds caused a mass pile-up of bikes and riders behind him after they failed to slow down to avoid the crash.
The incident made headlines across the world, more so when news broke that the woman who caused it had fled the country with French authorities reportedly hot on her heels.
"The damage suffered by the riders is physical, moral and economic," Professional cyclists' Union president Gianni Bugno said.
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"An athlete prepares months for a grand tour and it is not acceptable that all his hard work, that of his family, his staff and his team should be shattered in an instant by the quest for popularity of those who should attend the event without becoming the protagonist.
"We are sure that the spectator did not intentionally want to harm anyone, but with her carelessness she compromised the health and the season of more than one of our members.
"The one euro compensation we have asked for does not pay for the fracture of both arms of Marc Soler nor for the consequences suffered by Tony Martin and the other riders who ended up on the ground, but it has a symbolic value."
Featured Image Credit: EurosportTopics: Tour de France, Cycling, Australia, court
