Why does cycling clothing look so torn up after a crash?

How delicate is the material and how hard are the crashes?

Tour de France crashes
(Image credit: Benoit Tessier - Pool via Getty Images)

Crashes are an unfortunate, but inescapable, part of professional cycling. That said, the opening stages of the Tour de France have sadly seen far more riders hit the deck than we ever could have expected.

Mercifully, many of the riders who have crashed have still been in a position to get back on their bikes and back into the peloton. As a result, we’re seeing many more images of riders with clothes limply hanging from their bodies than we ever usually do.

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