Tour de France ‘opi-omi’ spectator arrested, according to report

The ‘opi-omi’ spectator at the Tour de France has been arrested after causing a crash on stage one, according to a report. 

On the opening day of the 2021 Tour, the fan caused a major pile-up when she stepped into the road, causing Tony Martin from Jumbo-Visma to crash into her at the front of the bunch. 

Police then launched a public appeal to track down the spectator as officers opened an investigation into “causing involuntary injuries”. 

According to a report from French news outlet RTL, the spectator was arrested and taken into police custody in Landernau, the finish town of stage one, on Wednesday, June 30. 

The incident, which happened with around 45km remaining of stage one from Brest to Landerneau in Brittany, caused a huge stir both inside and outside of cycling.

TV images from the crash showed the spectator leaning into the road in the path of the peloton while trying to get in front of broadcast camera.

The spectator put herself in the path of the Jumbo-Visma train at the right-hand side of the road, with Tony Martin unable to avoid her.

As Martin went down, the crash caused a chain reaction in the peloton with dozens of riders hitting the tarmac.

Amongst the chaos, one rider was forced to abandon the 2021 Tour, as Jasha Sütterlin (Team DSM) became the first rider to abandon this year’s race. 

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Tour de France organiser ASO has also said it plans to take legal action against the spectator.  

A statement on the Facebook page of the Gendarmerie du Finistére, released on Sunday (June 27), said: “In the framework of an accident on 26/06/21 on the RD30 municipality of St Cadou, during the first stage of Tour de France 2021, a judicial investigation is opened for ‘involuntary injuries by deliberate breach of an obligation of safety or caution’.

“The spectator causing this accident left the scene before the investigators arrived."

According to a report in French newspaper L'Equipe, the fan could face one year in prison and a fine.