Two Shimano Support Vehicles Hit Tour Of Flanders Cyclists Over The Weekend

If you’re the driver of a bike race support vehicle, not hitting cyclists is pretty much the most important part of your job. Incredibly, two neutral support vehicles were involved in incidents at this weekend’s Tour of Flanders bike race.

The first incident (in the video above) was caused when the Shimano car tried to pass a seven-man breakaway pack. As Jesse Sergent moved into the car’s path it sideswiped the unfortunate cyclist, sending him crashing to the floor. He was taken to hospital by ambulance, where it was confirmed he had broken his collarbone.

Remarkably, as this second video shows, that wasn’t the only Shimano-induced smash of the day. Just 45 minutes later, an inattentive driver rear-ended a team support vehicle that was helping Sebastien Chavanel. The impact sent Chavanel tumbling to the ground, forcing him to retire from the race, though he was fortunate enough to escape serious injury.