Tour de France stage 14 neutralised after early mass crash

Riders await the stage 14 restart at the Tour de France after the race was neutralised following a mass crash
Riders await the stage 14 restart at the Tour de France after the race was neutralised following a mass crash (Image credit: Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)

Louis Meintjes and Antonio Pedrero have abandoned the Tour de France after a mass crash in the opening kilometres of stage 14 that saw the race paused to allow the many fallen riders receive medical attention.

The mass crash took place 6km into the stage, when the peloton was strung out amid a flurry of early attacks and counter-attacks. Some 50 or so riders were held up in the incident, which appeared to be triggered by a rider slipping out on a sweeping, wet corner.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.