Infamous Tour de France Crashes

Infamous Tour de France Crashes

Eric Gaillard/Reuters

Wilfried Nelissen found a seam on the right side and began making his move to capture the Stage 1 crown, but just before the finish line Nelissen crashed into a policeman standing at the barricade. The crash created by the Belgian cost him the rest of the Tour due to injuries sustained.

AP

Giuseppe Guerini was about to take Stage 10 of the 1999 Tour de France when a spectator stood in the road to take a photo of the would-be stage winner. Guerini struck the spectator and fell to the asphalt before mounting his bike to finish the final meters. Lance Armstrong would go on to win his first Tour that year.

Bruno Fablet/AP

If not for this crash, Lance Armstrong may not have won seven straight Tour de France titles. Joseba Beloki, 29, had finished third, third and second in the 2000, 2001 and 2002 Tours and was in second place behind Armstrong heading into Stage 9 of the 2003 Tour. That's when his career as an elite cyclist ended with a sickening thud, a fall to the 125-degree pavement that caused a broken pelvis ( VIDEO ). Beloki's tumble may best be remembered for the way a following Armstrong reacted to it, riding past Beloki's skidding body, through a field and then picking up his bike to walk over a ditch and back onto the road.

Eric Gaillard/Reuters

Lance Armstrong dealt with a fair share of misfortune during his run of seven straight Tour de France wins. His most memorable crash was during a duel with noted climber Iban Mayo (behind, in orange) during Stage 15 of the 2003 Tour on the climb to Luz-Ardiden. Armstrong rode close to a row of spectators, and his handlebar tangled with a fan's bag ( VIDEO ), bringing his bike crashing down. Armstrong regrouped and came back to win the stage in one of his most memorable rides.

Christian Hartmann/Reuters

It was difficult to tell who caused this pile-up just two kilometers away from the finish line in Stage 2 of the 2007 Tour, but at least two dozen cyclists were floored by this crash near the front of the pack.

AFP

German Marcus Burghardt flipped over his handlebars in Stage 9 of the 2007 Tour when he struck a slow-moving Labrador on the course. The dog got up quickly and appeared unharmed while Burghardt took a bit more time to collect himself.

AFP

Fabian Cancellara had trouble with the elements and could keep traction on the wet road. He eventually wiped out on a third consecutive curve that he couldn't handle.

Franck Faguere/Icon SMI

Oscar Pereiro will forever be an answer to a cycling trivia question. Who was awarded the 2006 Tour de France title after Floyd Landis was stripped? That would be the Spaniard who, two years later, rode over a guard rail in the 15th stage of the Tour. Pereiro suffered a broken arm and never competed in the Tour again.

Nicolas Bouvy/EPA

Jens Voight suffered a concussion and a fractured right cheekbone when he went face-first into the course when riding near the caboose of a group with the yellow jersey. Voight would not be able to finish the race.

Nicolai Dumitrache/AP

The seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong got caught up in not one, not two, but three crashes in Stage 8 of the 2010 Tour. Armstrong's chances for an eighth title were effectively dashed as he lost crucial minutes in the chase for the yellow jersey.

Reuters

A French media car slightly swerved to the right and clipped Spain's Juan Antonio Flecha. Flecha then slid into Johnny Hoogerland, who was sent flying into a barbed wire fence during stage nine. Organizers instituted a two-minute gap from the race when the roads permit.