Team mechanics report massive material damage after spectacular Tour de France Femmes pile-up

Broken bikes and damaged equipment kept team mechanics very busy after stage five, here's a running list of the carnage

A race mechanic at work
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The biggest topic of conversation from the fifth and longest stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift on Thursday was the spectacular crash that saw 50 riders hit the deck in a massive pile-up.

Legs stuck in wheels, riders trapped under bikes, frames broken in half, dangling handlebars and so much lost skin. The carnage was substantial but amazingly, the riders untangled themselves and got back on the bike. Only one rider, Emma Norsgaard (Movistar) suffered injuries severe enough to be carted off to the hospital at the time.

Once the race was won and team and medical staff started tending to their riders, it was the mechanics who set to work assessing and repairing the costly material consequences. And there was a lot of it. Cycling Weekly went around visiting the team mechanics to get an idea of just how bad the damage was. 

The team mechanic also told Cycling Weekly that the special edition Tour de France frames will be going back to Cannondale to be put up for auction and benefit a charity. 

Arkéa–Samsic

- 1 bike suffered stem and fork damage 

- After an absolutely gutting stage that saw their climber disqualified and another injured, Human Powered Health was at least fortunate to not have broken any bikes. They did need to replace one rider's shoes mid-race.

Liv Racing Xstra 

- 3 bike frames
- 2 wheels
- 2 shifters
- 1 derailleur hanger
- 2 handlebars
- 2 saddles
- 1 computer 
- Two tires

“Yeah, we were busy,” the mechanic said


Parkhotel Valkenburg

- 1 wheel
- 1 derailleur hanger 

- 1 bike 
- 1 handlebar
- 2 broken levers

The Belgian team suffered a broken frameset on Monday but came out of the fifth stage pile-up with just: 

- 1 bent derailleur hanger 
- 1 broken chain
- 2 bent disc brakes

St Michel: 

- Just 1 rear derailleur 

- 1 bike, Anna Henderson’s. There was a broken spoke and fork 

- Just one flat tire all Tour long, and that was the gravel stage, not the fifth stage 

Movistar:  

- No damage

- 1 Derailleur hanger 
- 1 back wheel needed truing

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Anne-Marije Rook
North American Editor

Cycling Weekly's North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook is old school. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter — in print! She can even be seen bringing a pen and notepad to the press conference.

Originally from the Netherlands, she grew up a bike commuter and didn't find bike racing until her early twenties when living in Seattle, Washington. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon, she became a full-time cycling journalist. She's now been a journalist for two decades, including 12 years in cycling.