On-bike camera catches Damiano Caruso crashing into a hay bale

BMC Racing's Damiano Caruso will be glad that he was carrying a GoPro camera on his bike on Thursday's stage six of the Tour de France, especially as it captured his spectacular crash.

The Italian was the only rider brought down in the incident, which occurred when he tried to jump a traffic island near a roundabout.

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Caruso found himself a bit squeezed in as the peloton took a fast right turn at the junction so he decided to hop over the island, but unfortunately there was an obstacle in the way.

Race organisers had put straw bales covered in white polythene on the island to both direct the riders the right way and also ensure they don't crash into a road sign.

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Caruso smashed into the bale, flying head first into the road and landing on his back. Luckily he had just filled his back pockets with water bottles and thus had a slightly softer landing.

He wasn't the only one to have a slightly comical crash on the stage, with Movistar's Alejandro Valverde slipping on gravel when he stopped for a comfort break at the side of the road.

Watch highlights from stage six of the Tour de France