ALWAYS CRASHING IN THE SAME RACE

It must be the sound that comes first when a big crash happens. The screeching of brake pad on disc, the clatter of carbon fibre against carbon fibre, the dull thud of bodies hitting the ground. While light travels quicker than sound, for those unsighted behind the incident, it must be the noise that hits them first, causing the peloton to brace, brake hard, and hope for the best. When the bunch is travelling at any speed, there is little time to react. These milliseconds must be scary. The crowd silenced as the seriousness of the situation becomes clear. Maybe there are cries of pain, maybe professional riders are simply used to being thrown against the ground against their will.

This year’s Tour de France seemed to have an unusual number of crashes, particularly in its opening days as the peloton traversed Brittany. Some were down to carelessness, such as the pile-up caused by the spectator holding a placard which brought down Tony Martin on stage 1, and with him much of the bunch. Others were blamed on poor route planning, such as the one that brought down Jack Haig on stage 3, as riders were directed down narrow, twisting Breton lanes with just kilometres