A dog wandered into the action during Stage 12 of the Tour de France, causing a roadblock for several riders.
After some riders saw the seemingly lost and confused pup, they slammed on the brakes, which resulted in a huge pile-up during the world’s biggest bike race. Most of the riders swerved out of the way, but one rider sustained a nasty injury — and he was furious.
Yves Lampaert fumed after the crash, prompting him to yell, “Keep your dog at home!” TikTok video of the incident shows the dog escaping unscathed.
@herveesser Tour de france:Un chien traverse le peloton a serre chevalier. #tourdefrance #chute #prt #foryoupage #pourtoi #velo #france #peloton #veloderoute #serrechevalier #chien ♬ Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) – Kate Bush
The Incident
Lampaert told Velo News that he doesn’t “remember a lot,” but he does remember seeing the panicked pooch “at the last moment.”
“The guy in front of me braked really hard. I didn’t expect that and then I came down. We’ve seen this happen before in the Tour and it’s not funny when it happens to you. I wasn’t a dog lover before and this certainly hasn’t helped,” he explained.
Lampaert said in an Instagram story, “Crash because of dog in peloton. After already many times [saying this], please keep your dog at home!” Lampaert is nursing his way back to full health after placing 127th to cross the finish line.
Unfortunately, Lampaert blamed the incident on the dog. From the look on the pup’s face, he got no joy from being in the path of hundreds of swerving bikes.
History of Canine Chaos at the Tour de France
The Belgian rider is correct. This isn’t the first time “canine chaos” occurred at the Tour de France. According to Cycling Weekly, German rider Marcus Burghardt was unhurt after a dog caused him to fly over his handlebars at the 2007 race. Video of that incident is below.
A year later, a reporter almost trod on the tail of Molly, beloved dog of Former Tour de France champion Cadel Evans. After this year’s episode, we assume the Tour de France will take necessary precautions to avoid putting pups and riders in danger in the future.
Let’s hope Lampaert makes a full recovery and that next year’s race is free of canine incidents. If you’re thinking about going biking with your dog, take a look at our tips for making your trip as safe as possible.
