Cycling: Spectator to face trial in October over Tour de France race crash
Team B&B KTM's Bryan Coquard of France (right) and a Team Alpecin-Fenix rider lie on the ground after crashing during the first stage of the 108th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 197km between Brest and Landerneau, on Jun 26, 2021. (File photo: AFP/Pool/Anne-Christine Poujoulat)
PARIS: The spectator accused of having caused a massive pile-up during the first stage of the Tour de France cycling race in Brittany will face trial on Oct 14, the local prosecutor's department said on Friday (Jul 2).
The spectator, a 30-year-old Frenchwoman, is being sued for involuntarily causing injury and putting the life of others at risk, the prosecutor also said in a statement.
She was arrested and placed in custody on Wednesday after presenting herself at a police station in Brittany.
READ: Cycling - Police arrest Tour de France spectator who caused mass crash
The spectator was holding a cardboard sign and facing away from the cyclists at a television camera as they passed. German rider Tony Martin was sent tumbling when he rode straight into the sign, and a large number of other riders came down in the ensuing pile-up.
Local prosecutor Camille Miansoni told a news conference on Thursday that the woman had no police or justice records and expressed fear and shame after what she said was a moment of "idiocy".
