Video: Roadside guardian angel prevents mass pile-up in pro bike race

Footage posted online by Eurosport France’s Leunis Jacques shows the moment when one quick-thinking spectator took responsibility for the safety of those competing in the GP de Fourmies. The roadside guardian angel is seen snatching a fallen rider’s bike out of the way a fraction of a second before the arrival of the peloton.

Crashes are rarely more catastrophic than in the closing kilometres of a bike race when the peloton is moving at full speed. If just one rider falls at the front, any number of people riding behind are also likely to suffer.

In the video, a rider in a small escape group falls with just 1.5km to go and his bike bounces around before coming to rest in the middle of the road where a large peloton is rapidly bearing down on it. Fortunately, a roadside spectator takes action, swooping on it and dragging it to the grass verge just moments before the riders arrive.

This year’s GP de Fourmies was won by Fabio Felline of Trek Factory Racing. Tom Boonen came second with Nacer Bouhanni third.