These are the times when support vehicles have hit riders in the past 12 months (videos)

While accidents like this have happened on occasion, these sort of accidents have come to the fore in the past year with a number of high-profile incidents, involving Greg Van Avermaet and Peter Sagan.

Jakob Fuglsang at the 2015 Tour de France

Astana's Jakob Fuglsang was in a breakaway up the Col du Glandon in the Tour de France when a motorbike careered through the group, almost knocking off Ryder Hesjedal and actually flooring the Dane.

Greg Van Avermaet at the 2015 Clasica San Sebastian

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dGiLW9PSiY

Van Avermaet believed this crash at the Clasica San Sebastian cost him the win in August, with eventual winner Adam Yates powering past him while he was on the floor. Van Avermaet was leading the race when he was clipped by the bike.

Peter Sagan at the 2015 Vuelta a España

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoAiX9Wm3cA

While we don't see Sagan actually getting hit by the bike, his reaction shows just how annoyed he was by the incident. He punched the medical car, kicked a motorbike and then kicked his own bike. He was forced to abandon the Vuelta a España because of the crash but recovered to win the World Championships the following month.

Stig Broeckx at the 2016 Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-jFLVtOKK8

Broeckx pulled out of the peloton and was hit from behind by a motorbike that wasn't able to get out of the way in time during Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.

“Honestly, the UCI must do something because it’s not acceptable to have the riders hit by cars or motorbikes. Those riders sacrifice so much to be there and in form for these races, and an incident ruins it all,” former pro and now motorbike commentator Cedric Vasseur told Cycling Weekly.

Jesse Sergent at the 2015 Tour of Flanders

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsexjF6Iaz0

It wasn't a motorbike, but Jesse Sergent's Tour of Flanders was ended by a Shimano neutral service car, leaving the then Trek rider with a broken collarbone.

Sebastien Chavanel at the 2015 Tour of Flanders

https://youtu.be/ltLflTi9P48?t=31s

Moments later in the same race, another neutral service car shunted the FDJ car into the back of Sebastian Chavenel, who had stopped for mechanical assistance. He needed medical assistance too as a result.

From history - Jonny Hoogerland and Juan Antonio Flecha at the 2011 Tour de France

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWb0bACcDc0

The famous incident from the 2011 Tour de France left Jonny Hoogerland tangled in barbed wire in a ditch after a team car hit Juan Antonio Flecha into him, sending him flying into a fence. He finished the stage and retained the Mountains Classification, as well as picking up the aggressive rider award for the day.