The Tour de France had not yet officially started, or the first crash had already occurred.
Jan Hirt crashed before the start of the opening stage in Florence. The 33-year-old Czech from Soudal Quick-Step got stuck behind the back of a spectator. He is left with three broken teeth and a bloody face.
According to teammate Yves Lampaert, it was chaos at the Grand Départ. There were far too many spectators in far too small a space. The riders even had to slalom between the crowd to get from the starting podium to the team buses.
Lefevere displeased
Patrick Lefevere shared a photo of Hirt’s battered face via X. He also took a sharp swipe at organizer ASO. “A team has to follow 100 rules, but Jan Hirt fell due to a backpack after signing the starting sheet and returning to the bus,” wrote the disgruntled CEO of The Wolfpack.
There 100 rules for the team but one with backpack made crashing jan Hirt between the signings and the bus. 😡😡😡.
3 teeth broken pic.twitter.com/gth0T4AqDH— Patrick Lefevere (@PatLefevere) June 29, 2024
