An elite bike race took a dark turn after a devastating crash occurred over the weekend.
The Tour de France is one of the world’s premier cycling competitions. On Sunday, however, the 15th stage of this celebrated race was marred by a massive crash caused by one clueless fan.
Video from the event showed one of the spectators appearing to hold out his cell phone to take a picture when his arm accidentally collided with the American cyclist Sepp Kuss, causing him to fall.
Unfortunately, Kuss happened to be at the front of a large pack of riders, and as a result, at least ten other riders hit him as he fell, causing them to fall as well.
The whole scene quickly turned to chaos, with the riders directly behind the crash unable to go any further as the carnage blocked their path, and stunned spectators stood in shock at what they had witnessed.
Tour de France spectator causes a huge crash in the peloton!#TDF2023 ?: Peacock pic.twitter.com/USu6eUO0o1
— NBC Sports Cycling (@NBCSCycling) July 16, 2023
The Tour de France is one of those unique sporting events, where fans are able to line the route where the cyclists are racing and have a chance to really get close to the action.
Unfortunately, events like the crash on Sunday are a reminder that people often get too caught up in the excitement, and tend to forget about their surroundings.
This cluelessness and lack of awareness lead to accidents like this. People need to remember that when they attend events like this, they need to be aware of the precautions that are in place so as not to ruin the experience for everyone else.
But more than that, there is the “me” aspect of things that is leading to problems like this.
Some people who attend these events tend to think that the events are all about them, and they are willing to do anything to get a chance to be on television or get a selfie for social media.
In reality, however, these events are not about them, but rather about the athletes, who have worked their entire lives for this and deserve to have this opportunity.
But now, these racers will have this moment ruined for them because of the reckless actions of one oblivious spectator.
Fortunately, however, the man’s arm only hit a cyclist. Imagine for a moment if instead of hitting a cyclist, his arm had hit an escort vehicle such as a car or a motorcycle.
The spectator could have been seriously injured or even killed if that had been the case. All the more reason for people to remain vigilant at these events.
The narcissism that some of these people show is putting other people, and themselves, in danger because of their endless obsession with the self.
By all means, we should enjoy these events and cheer on the athletes, but we should also make sure to practice self-control.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.