Heartbreaking moment as a Tour de France rider breaks his NECK in a brutal collision with a fan during a chaotic stage that saw bicycles hurtling over cobblestones
- Daniel Oss collided with spectator during treacherous run on stage five
- He somehow managed to finish the stage despite breaking his neck in the crash
- Another rider involved in the impact broke his collarbone and pelvis
Tour de France rider Daniel Oss suffered a broken neck after crashing into a fan during an accident-ridden stage of the famous race that was held partly on cobblestones on Thursday.
Incredibly, the Italian finished the stage, which consisted of 11 sections held on the dangerous surface, before going for scans that revealed he had fractured a vertebra in his neck.
Oss was moving at high speed on stage five of the tour when he bumped into the spectator, who was leaning forward toward his pad while filming the competitors on his phone.
The fan was thrown to the ground by the impact as the rider was thrown from his bike into the path of another competitor, who also crashed into the cobblestones.
Moment of impact: Daniel Oss collides with spectator at high speed during stage five of the Tour de France
Another fan grabs Oss’ bicycle while he tries to get up. Unbelievable, he finished the podium
Oss’ TotalEnergies team revealed the extent of the damage after he had scans done on the injury.
“Additional examination revealed a fracture of a cervical vertebra that had to be immobilized for several weeks,” they tweeted.
Daniel Oss is therefore forced to leave the Tour de France. The whole team wishes you a good recovery Daniel.’
The other rider who fell as a result of the collision, Michael Gogl, suffered a broken collarbone and pelvis. Another rider was injured so badly during the stage that he was unable to participate in the action the following day.
Oss’s team later revealed he would have to be immobilized for ‘a few weeks’ after breaking a vertebra in his neck
Tadej Pogačar currently holds the yellow jersey after the sixth stage.
On Wednesday, Australian cycling veteran Simon Clarke wrote his name in the record books after completing a beautiful final stage triumph to crown his long career after a brutal, crash-strewn cobblestone stage.
Clarke couldn’t contain his emotions as he crossed the line after winning a lunge-breaking sprint on Wednesday, fulfilling a lifelong dream of completing a stage of the famed Tour.
His win makes him the oldest Australian to win a stage of the Tour at 35 years and 355 days, while he is the sixth oldest cyclist to ever win his first stage.