Spectator Who Caused Huge Tour De France Crash Flees The Country As Police Ramp Up Search

The woman who caused the massive crash at the Tour de France which injured dozens of cyclists has reportedly fled the country.

It comes after French authorities launched an official probe into the incident with the help of local police conducting a search for the woman.

Now, according to Ouest-France, the individual in question has hopped on a plane to head home to her native Germany.

Reports from CBS claim the woman is practically "untraceable" and is now "missing".

It's understood Tour de France deputy director Pierre-Yves Thouault still plans on suing her for the damages she caused.

"We are suing this woman who behaved so badly," Thouault told France24 via AFP.

"We are doing this so that the tiny minority of people who do this don't spoil the show for everyone," he said.

Complete and utter chaos erupted during Stage 1 of the Tour de France over the weekend when Tony Martin came off his bike near the front of the pack.

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.

At first glance, it looked like Martin's tyres simply slipped but damning replays later revealed the full extent of the wild crash as well as the true cause of it.

When slow-mos played on the broadcast, they showed Martin colliding with a spectator who was leaning onto the track while holding up a sign.

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.

PA

Several riders are now expected to pull out due to ongoing injuries.

The spectator's actions forced event officials to make an announcement online.

"We're glad to have the public on the side of the road on the Tour de France," a statement read.

"But for the Tour to be a success, respect the safety of the riders!

"Don't risk everything for a photo or to get on television!"

When footage of the crazy incident surfaced on social media, fans quickly dubbed it "the worst crash ever seen" - and you can see why.

Topics: Tour de France, Cycling, Australia,

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry