Just one day after celebrating the biggest win of his Tour de France career, Søren Wærenskjold was picking himself up from the road!  The Uno-X Mobility rider, who stunned the sprint field to claim Stage 11, was among several cyclists caught in a frightening high-speed crash during the final 400 meters of Stage 12,- an incident that left multiple riders injured and ended more than one Tour campaign.

The crash happened on July 16 during the 179.1-kilometer stage from Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours to Chalon-sur-Saône. With the peloton charging toward the finish at nearly 80 km/h, Fernando Gaviria and Olav Kooij found themselves battling for the same line near the front of the bunch. The pair appeared to bump shoulders as they fought for position. Kooij managed to stay upright, but Gaviria lost control and crashed heavily onto the tarmac, setting off a chain reaction behind him.

Riders behind had almost no time to react as bikes and bodies scattered across the road, bringing down several contenders including Wærenskjold, Dorian Godon, Jonas Abrahamsen, Jenno Berckmoes, Liam Slock, Pavel Bittner, and Anthon Charmig. The full extent of the damage became clear after the finish.

Gaviria finished the stage holding his left arm and leaning on a teammate for support. Medical examinations later confirmed a broken left collarbone, ending his Tour de France. Berckmoes also suffered a fractured collarbone and is set to undergo surgery in Belgium, forcing him out of the race as well.

Liam Slock escaped more serious injuries but was left with abrasions to both elbows and his right hip. Godon underwent concussion assessments after remaining on the ground following the impact, while several others walked away battered, bruised, and covered in road rash.

For Wærenskjold, the incident was painful end to an emotional 24-hour stretch. The Norwegian escaped without any fractures but suffered road rash and bruising after sliding across the tarmac. “He’s hurt everywhere, you know, sliding on the road at nearly 80 km/h, it’s painful,” Uno-X team manager Thor Hushovd said. “It’s a shame because he was in good shape, but it’s part of cycling.”

Amid all the chaos, Tim Merlier managed to avoid the pile-up and sprint to victory for Soudal Quick-Step. However, this was not the first time a Tour de France sprint finish had turned into chaos.

The crash that hurt over 20 riders

One of the most recent examples of a Tour de France crash causing serious injuries to multiple riders came during the 2021 Tour de France Stage 1. On June 26, 2021, the first segment of the ride from Brest to Landerneau left dozens of cyclists on the ground injured.

The first major incident occurred approximately 45 km from the finish, where a spectator was standing near the racing line with a large sign . Tony Martin was hit by the sign, sending him to the ground and resulting in a big pile-up behind him.

The damage continued later in the stage when another crash occurred inside the final 10 kilometers. A touch of wheels in the fast-moving bunch caused another wave of riders to hit the ground. Among the riders seriously affected was Marc Soler of Movistar, who suffered fractures to both arms. Cyril Lemoine of B&B Hotels-KTM also suffered serious injuries, including four broken ribs, a moderate pneumothorax (collapsed lung), and a head wound.

Ignatas Konovalovas of Groupama-FDJ suffered head trauma and was withdrawn after medical checks, while Jasha Sütterlin of Team DSM sustained a hand injury. Several other riders were also affected by the crashes. Former Tour champion Chris Froome suffered hip and chest injuries and underwent medical checks. Mike Teunissen was left with injuries to his elbow and hip, while Marc Hirschi suffered a shoulder injury. Other riders, including Ben O’Connor, Søren Kragh Andersen, Casper Pedersen, and Dries Devenyns, were treated for cuts, bruises, and road rash.