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Nacer Bouhanni after falling on the Tour of Turkey
Photo:
IMAGO/Mario Stiehl
The French professional cyclist Nacer Bouhanni fell badly on the second stage of the Tour of Turkey from Selcuk to Alacati and broke his first cervical vertebra.
As his team Arkéa Samsic announced, the 31-year-old sprint specialist received medical treatment in the Izmir hospital.
The three-time Vuelta stage winner is now to be flown to his home country for further treatment.
Falls are hard to avoid in cycling, and this one was particularly bitter for Bouhanni.
Because this accident could have been avoided, it was reminiscent of the fall at last year's Tour de France, when a spectator with a cardboard sign triggered a mass fall.
As an amateur video recording on Twitter shows (SPIEGEL does not embed the images in this case), a pedestrian ran down the street on Monday with his back to the peloton approaching at high speed.
Drivers did not expect such an obstacle and several drivers fell on the asphalt.
Bouhanni – teammate Kévin Ledanois was also involved in the accident and has to give up the tour with a knee injury – then sat next to a sidewalk with a pained face and was then taken to the hospital with a neck brace on.
Arkéa Samsic has one of the favorites for overall victory in Nairo Quintana but had to continue Tuesday's race with just five riders.
Quintana was also involved in two crashes on stage two but is able to continue for now.
kra/dpa
