Jumbo-Visma willing to sue Tour de France spectator who caused huge crash while taking selfie

Jumbo-Visma are considering pressing charges against the spectator who caused a huge pile-up on Sunday's 15th stage of the Tour de France while taking a selfie on their mobile phone.

Climbing domestique Sepp Kuss was the first rider brought down, having collided with the fan's outstretched arm, in turn causing many more behind to crash.

For goodness sake 🤬

A fan holding their phone out causes a mass pile-up 📱#TDF2023 #ITVCycling pic.twitter.com/xsQEf6XtTe

— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 16, 2023

Kuss' teammate Nathan Van Hooydonck, Egan Bernal and Biniam Girmay were among the riders affected, with Reuters now reporting that Jumbo-Visma are considering pressing charges.

It has been reported that the spectator has been identified by the French gendarmerie but will not be arrested unless Kuss wishes to sue him. Speaking on the American's behalf a spokesperson from within the team told the news agency, "The team might do. We'll find out how and when."

Speaking later, team boss Richard Plugge then suggested "we owe that to the riders who were on the ground" in comments provided to Dutch news outlet NOS.

"I think we owe that to the riders who were on the ground. Not only ours, but also those of other teams," he said. "It's really nice that the public is standing by the side and cheering us on. We're very happy with that, but just keep your distance. I think it's very important that we send a strong signal for once."

Sports director Arthur van Dongen explained how the team had suffered "enormously large" material damage in the crash and added to Plugge's words, saying "we will certainly try to recover the expenses from that person".

"The boys are quite battered. Lots of bruises, abrasions. Especially in the last week that will weigh on," he said.

Explaining how the crash happened, Kuss recalled approaching a "narrowing in a town [...] we were just trying to slow down the peloton to let the break go".

"Then just on the side unfortunately, somebody wanted to get a selfie. I didn't really see it coming," he said. "There was a spectator leaning into the road, I guess. It just happened suddenly and that's part of the Tour, there are a lot of people. Ideally that wouldn't happen, but it’s the biggest bike race in the world and a lot of people don't know exactly what's going on."

On the opening stage of the 2021 edition Jumbo-Visma's Tony Martin was taken out by a spectator, famously holding a sign displaying the message 'Allez Opi-Omi!', in one of the worst Tour de France crashes of recent years.

The woman, who was not named, avoided jail time for her role in the crash and was fined €1,200 by a French court. She was also ordered to pay a symbolic €1 to the French Cycling Union, UNCP.

Prosecutors had sought a four-month suspended sentence, which they said was intended to act as a "warning", although the maximum penalty the 31-year-old could have faced was a €15,000 fine and/or 12 months' imprisonment.