A German cycling event descended into disarray when an elderly woman on a mobility scooter slowly moved into the path of oncoming cyclists, causing a massive pile-up and launching participants from their bikes, as captured in dramatic footage.
On Sunday, over 100 cyclists from all over Europe gathered for the Saarland Trofeo Juniors in Germany, each eager to secure a prestigious podium finish.
While racing through the scenic countryside, they encountered an unforeseen hurdle — the elderly woman and her scooter.
Surprised spectators filmed the moment when the woman edged her scooter out from the crowd of onlookers and directly into the cyclists’ route. Although one cyclist skillfully maneuvered around the scooter, the rider trailing him was not as lucky.
The second cyclist collided with the scooter, narrowly missing its unsuspecting operator and was thrown from his bike. The crash resulted in at least four more competitors being taken down, leaving them scattered across the roadway, as shown in the video.
The first victim, Dutch cyclist Paul Vriesman, posted on social media that he was involved in “a very nasty looking crash” but “got away with it relatively well.”
Vriesman, who was involved in another harrowing crash at the beginning of the racing season, added that he was “lost for words on how something like this can happen.
“So much hard work and yet another setback,” he grimly concluded.
Miraculously, all the cyclists taken out by the wayward scooter and its chain reaction escaped without serious injury, according to The Telegraph.
Cycling commentator Los Brolin, who shared the now-viral video, urged spectators to make sure they don’t edge beyond the designated sidelines.
“Even a small step onto the road can have serious consequences at these speeds. This was not even the first incident of this kind during the race. Junior racing is already dangerous enough without spectators making it even more dangerous,” he wrote on social media.
Sindre Orholm-Lønseth of Norway finished first in the race. Splinter van’t Hoff of the Netherlands and Elias Wändel of Germany rounded out second and third.
In 2021, a French woman was arrested for causing an infamous, bloody crash during the Tour de France.
She was seen holding up a poster that read “Go! Gran, Grandad” in French and German. German cyclist Tony Martin clipped her sign, causing a domino effect of crashes around him.
The woman fled the scene, but turned herself in to police four days later. The Tour de France later agreed not to press charges against her