Brest (AFP)

The message to his grandparents on the road to the Tour de France could cost him dearly.

The woman who had caused a massive fall of runners by waving a sign during the first stage in June, is on trial Thursday in Brest.

"Go opi-omi!"

--papy-mamy in German, her grandmother being of German origin - she wrote in large letters on a piece of cardboard to the address of her grandparents, unconditional fans of the Great Loop.

It was last June 26, in the town of Sizun, 45 km from the finish of the first stage of the Tour, part of Brest.

The young woman, who lives in Finistère, brandished her sign, encroaching on the road, her back to the peloton.

Several runners, launched at high speed, could not avoid it.

The German Tony Martin, the first to fall, had dragged many other cyclists into his fall.

Her message went around the world, but the consequences of what the 31-year-old called "silliness" have been severe.

"By showing her sign + Go Opi Omi + to the cameras, (she) brought down about fifty runners, some of whom were forced to retire due to serious bodily injuries," regretted Wednesday in a statement the international organization Associated Professional Cyclists (CPA), civil party in the trial which will begin at 1:30 p.m.

The French cyclist Bryan Coquard, from the B&B KTM team (d) and a rider from the Alpecin Fenix ​​team have just crashed during the first stage of the Tour de France between Brest and Landerneau, June 26, 2021 Anne-Christine POUJOULAT POOL / AFP

Several riders had been forced to retire, including the German Jasha Sütterlin (DSM) and the Spaniard Marc Soler (Movistar).

The latter, winner of Paris-Nice 2018, had three fractures in his left arm.

"The harm suffered by runners is physical, moral and economic. An athlete trains for months for a grand tour and it is not acceptable that all of his hard work, that of his family, his staff and his team be wiped out in an instant by the quest for popularity of those who should attend the event without becoming the protagonists, "plague the president of the Swiss-based organization Gianni Bugno in the press release.

The only association of riders recognized by the International Cycling Union (UCI) nevertheless indicated that it was only asking for a symbolic compensation of one euro, saying it only wanted to draw the public's attention to the need to adopt " a responsible and respectful attitude towards the runners ".

- Numerous falls -

The images of this woman, dressed in a yellow raincoat, wearing a green cap and holding up her sign with a broad smile on her lips before being struck by the peloton, had been around the world, unleashing strong media interest as she could not be found.

It was only four days after the incident, and when a call for witnesses had been launched, that she went to the Landerneau gendarmerie, in charge of the investigation, no longer supporting the media pressure.

She was immediately taken into custody.

"The respondent expressed a feeling of shame, of fear in the face of the consequences of his act. She said she was distressed by the media coverage of what she called + her stupidity +", underlined in early July at a conference by press the public prosecutor of Brest Camille Miansoni.

A van leaves the gendarmerie of Landerneau (Finistère), where the spectator who had caused a massive fall of Tour de France riders was in custody, July 1, 2021 JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER AFP / Archives

The lawyer for this woman presented as "fragile", Julien Bradmetz, told AFP on Monday that he would not communicate on this case.

From a source close to the case, he could plead the poor organization of the race and the lack of security.

The 108th edition of the Grande Boucle was marked by many falls and abandonments.

The Tour de France, which initially announced its intention to file a complaint, finally gave up saying it wanted to "calm things down".

The young woman is being prosecuted for "endangering others" and "involuntary injuries" resulting in incapacity for work "not exceeding 3 months".

She faces a criminal court in Brest up to a 15,000 euros fine and a one-year prison sentence.

© 2021 AFP