TOP 5 CRAZIEST TOUR DE FRANCE MOMENTS

We asked out team what were some of their favorite and wildest Tour de France memories were in recent times. After some reflection we were able to narrow it down to five iconic events!

Allez Opi-Omi

It’s difficult to talk about last year's edition of the Tour de France without mentioning the “ALLEZ OPI-OMI” lady. She was able to turn a seamlessly small piece of cardboard into a fully lethal weapon taking out 40+ riders in the peloton. 

During the commencement of the 2021 Tour de France a 31-year-old French Woman was holding a cardboard sign reading “Allez Opi-Omi” (which can be translated from French/German as a sign of “endearment” for grandparents) stood in the road attempting to be on TV and by doing so resulted in a massive crash and caused a stand still near the back of the peloton. The fan who caused the huge crash did end up having to pay a $1,350 fine but did avoid any jail time. Sadly, injuries from this crash did result in several riders pulling out of the race including Jasha Sütterlin. What can we learn from this moment, DON’T RISK IT ALL TO APPEAR ON TV FOR A FEW SECONDS! 

Mont Ventoux Running Club 

You may very well remember 2016 Froome, Richie Porte, and Bauke Mollema all attacking together until the trio rode into the back of a television motorbike that appeared to stop suddenly in a road overflowing with spectators. All three riders crashed, allowing their rivals to ride past them. Of the three riders, Mollema rose quickly and returned to his bike while Froome desperately needed a new one due to damage from the crash. 

In a panic, Froome took off on foot sprinting up the road, sensing the finish line was close. After stopping to call his team car, which was 5 min behind in traffic, he took a spare bike from the Mavic neutral service. Again, this incorrectly sized bike failed him. He eventually located a team bike and quickly raced to the finish line trying to limit his losses. However, he finished close to two minutes back, shaking his head as he crossed the line.

Due to his time loss, Froome initially slipped to sixth in the overall classification, 53 seconds below Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange). Eventually, officials revised the results, giving Froome and Porte the same finishing time as Mollema, meaning Froome kept his yellow jersey. Chris Froome's 2016 incident and resilient show of perseverance will continue to go down as one of the most unforgettable moments in recent Tour de France history. 

As a result and to applaud this show of sportsmanship, the Thread + Spoke creative team designed and released the “Mont Ventoux Running Club” t-shirt. Since 2016, this popular design has continued to bring cyclists and creatives together. Now, 5 years later, the legend lives on. For your personal Mont Ventoux Running Club shirt, shop today or visit our Tour Collection full of eye-catching Tour de France cycling apparel and designs. 

Rubbing is Racing

In 2017, a sprint to the finish between Peter Sagan and Mark Cavendish had us all screaming at our screens. During this sprint Sagan and Cav made contact during the sprint which resulted in Cav sustaining a massive cut to his hand, fractured his shoulder blade, and head injury. After he was taken to the hospital, he made the decision to drop out of the race due to injury. 

After reviewing the tape, the UCI decided to disqualify Sagan from the race… which was an extremely controversial decision. Many fans and the Bora-hansgrohe Team were very disappointed with this decision. The UCI later retracted this decision claiming that Peter Sagan was not fully at fault for this crash. 

If you are into racing bikes, it not a quesitons of if you will crash  but a matter of when and how hard. Anyone that has been in a bunch sprint know that is it a very physical sport and although it is classified as non-contact, you know that it is anything but, especially when that contact is with the tarmac. Hold your line, hold your position and sprint like hell. We did not coin the term “Rubbing is Racing” but we did create this iconic tee to commemorate this iconic moment in Tour de France history! 

CAV IS BACK

During the 2021 Tour de France Mark Cavendish made a serious comeback. As one of the more experienced riders in this year's race, the Brit Mark Cavendish has shown no signs of slowing down, taking the sprint win on stage 6, his second stage victory of the race and 50th of his career at a Grand Tour. The former road world champion has never lost a Tour finish in Châteauroux, winning in 2008 and 2011. As one of the best sprinters on the Tour, the former world champion is likely the man to beat this year. As the current leader of the points classification, he will have to remain dedicated and relentless in the sprinting stages and major climbs during the second week of the race if he hopes to continue his early successes. 

Unfortunately, Mark Cavendish missed his chance to capture another stage win and move past his record of 34 stage victories, shared with the legend, Eddy Merckx. Although it wasn't the picture-perfect finish Cavendish had envisioned, the British sprinter can look back at his incredible comeback with both pride and joy.

Even a year ago, it looked like Cavendish was heading towards retirement with a slew of plaguing health issues and no major wins in years. Leading up to the Tour de France, Cavendish battled younger and faster riders, capturing four stage wins at the Tour of Turkey, leading into a stage win in the Tour of Belgium and, when Sam Bennett was ruled out through injury, Cavendish was given the call to join the team in Brest for the Grand Départ of the Tour. Mark Cavendish is a prime example of never giving up, battling through intense emotional and physical adversity to produce results. Although Cavendish missed out on the Champs Elysées, he still ended the Tour de France with four stage wins – more than any other rider in the race – and a second green jersey. I think it’s fair to say that #cavsback.  

Col de l’Iseran

During the 2019 Tour de France, Stage 19 was canceled due to extreme weather. Severe hailstorms and terrible mudslides led to the section of the stage being "unrideable". Some of the roads were completely blocked by a mudslide near the final climb to Tignes. This decision was at first received poorly by TDF fans. A lot of people were really looking forward to cyclists tackle this very difficult climbing stage of the tour. 

We decided to design the Col de l'Iseran t-shirt to remember this wild stage during the 2019 Tour de France. After having some time to reflect, do you agree with the decision to cancel the stage? #iserangate

For more fun cycling apparel, updates, and overall cycling culture, visit the Thread + Spoke journal or shop the Tour collection today. Don't curb your enthusiasm, wear it!

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