Cyclists Hang From a Bridge After a Life-Threatening Accident Caused Chaos

The second day of the cycling event, Etoile de Besseges in France came to a halt after a life-threatening accident. After the cyclist covered 24 km of the race, they were interrupted by a small stone bridge. It caused the collision of a large group of cyclists, leading to injuries and the cancellation of the second day of the event. 

Étoile de Bessèges’s second stage ended up with no winners. Moreover, one of the cyclists, Valentin Ferron from the Total Energies peloton who was injured, found himself hanging on by his arms from the side of a bridge.

No winners at the Étoile de Bessèges’s second-stage cycling event 

Étoile de Bessèges is the year’s first major cycling event. However, it was interrupted when riders piled up on each other due to a bumpy road. Many factors contributed to the accident. Apart from the rocky bridge, the cyclists were speeding up as they were about to reach the finish line. With this, followed the heavy crosswinds and the close quarters on the bridge, ultimately leading to the catastrophic crash. 

More so, among the several cyclists who were injured, Valentin Ferron found himself hanging from a bridge. He escaped with “minor superficial wounds” by using his upper body strength. Moreover, according to the report by Cycling News, “Valentin Ferron (TotalEnergies) was launched to the wall of the bridge on the right-hand side of the road and almost fell over into the ravine on the other side. “

Before he climbed up the bridge, he was seen hanging by his arms. With the help of Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Axel Laurance, Ferron could finally save himself. 

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Apart from Ferron, there were other cyclists who faced minor injuries on the road. Eventually, they received medical aid. 

Scenes after the cycling catastrophe

Unfortunately, there were not enough medical vans in the event to cater to the total number of cyclists. At first, it was decided that the event would be judged on the basis of the 22 km mark.

However, when the organizers noticed that three ambulances had already left for the hospital, they became afraid of more injuries. Race director Claudine Fangille to L’Equipe TV , “Three ambulances had to leave the race and for that, we couldn’t guarantee safety if something happened in the following kilometres.”

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As a result, the organizers decided to cancel the event with no clear winner. Hence, Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dsnty) who won Stage 1 topped the points table.