A day that was supposed to be a memorable one for Mathieu van der Poel’s big Stage 9 win in the 2026 Tour de France – the third Stage victory of his career at the biggest race in the sport has instead been marred by a frightening incident. Just 500 meters from the finish, where thousands of fans had gathered to watch the action unfold, a press vehicle lost control and entered an area occupied by spectators. The incident left eight people injured and cast a shadow over the day’s sporting action.

The incident occurred yesterday, on July 12, near the finish in Ussel, Corrèze, France. According to local authorities, a vehicle belonging to French sports newspaper L’Équipe suddenly veered off the road after the driver reportedly suffered a fainting spell behind the wheel. The car broke through several metal safety barriers before crashing into spectators standing along the route.

Officials from the Corrèze prefecture confirmed that eight spectators were injured. One person sustained serious injuries but was not believed to be in a life-threatening condition, while the remaining seven suffered minor injuries.

Witnesses described scenes as, “I heard a noise. At first I thought it was a fallen guardrail.” Another added, “I saw people fall to the ground and get up again. They were in shock. Two people were also lying on the ground.”

Authorities believe the driver lost control after suffering a medical episode. At this stage, investigators have not suggested that the crash was intentional and are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident. The public prosecutor’s office in Tulle has opened an investigation into the crash. Officials said the driver has not been arrested as authorities work to establish the exact sequence of events.

The stage itself was already altered by extreme weather conditions and the accident overshadowed this. The Corrèze region was declared in a “red heat” alert and organisers cut the distance by 30 km, making it 155.5 km instead of 185.5 km.  Despite the incident, Van der Poel held off the chasing peloton to secure a Stage 9 victory, while defending champion Tadej Pogačar retained the yellow jersey and his lead in the overall standings heading into the race’s first rest day.

However, it was not the first time that a serious accident involving spectators had taken place at the Tour de France.

Before Ussel, another Tour de France accident shocked fans

The same type of safety problem occurred during the 2025 Tour de France Stage 14 when a support car driven by Ineos Grenadiers crashed into a spectator on the Col du Peyresourde. The driver was later fined a yellow card and 5,000 Swiss francs for putting people in danger with his driving. Even before that more serious incident took place.

After Stage 8, which finished at the mountain resort of Tignes, France, German cyclist Patrik Sinkewitz of T-Mobile Team was involved in a serious collision with a spectator while riding back down the course toward his team’s hotel in nearby Val d’Isère. Sinkewitz had finished the stage in 68th place and was descending the route after the race. During the descent, he collided with a 78-year-old spectator standing near the course in what race organizers described as a violent impact.

The spectator suffered a serious head injury, lost consciousness, and was airlifted to a hospital in Grenoble, where he was initially placed in a coma. Sinkewitz was also injured in the crash, suffering facial injuries, including a broken nose, and was taken to a hospital in Chambéry. The accident forced him to withdraw from the rest of the Tour de France.

A few days later, doctors confirmed that the spectator had regained consciousness and was recovering. Although he had suffered a severe head injury, his condition improved, and his life was no longer considered in danger. These incidents show that the excitement and closeness that make cycling so special can also create moments of danger.