The spectator who had caused a major fall with her sign "Go Opi Omi" was found guilty of "involuntary injuries" by the Criminal Court of Brest.
About fifty riders were swept away in this fall that occurred during the first stage of the Tour de France 2021 between Brest and Landerneau.
Aged 31, the spectator described as "fragile" had apologized, evoking "stupidity".
It was a tense start to the Tour de France, marked by crashes. That which occurred during the first stage between Brest and Landerneau will undoubtedly remain the most striking. On the side, a spectator wearing a cap and a yellow raincoat had brandished a cardboard sign on which was written: "Go opi omi". Which means “Go grandpa grandma” in German, obviously to greet grandparents of German origin who are fans of the Tour. Wanted for two days, the spectator had presented himself on Monday to the gendarmerie of Landerneau (Finistère) to confess what she described as "a big mistake". This Thursday, the Brest criminal court sentenced her to a fine of 1,200 euros. It will also have to pay a symbolic euro to the National Union of Professional Cyclists (UNCP), civil party.
"My client is going through hell"
Aged 31, the young woman was prosecuted for "endangering others" and "unintentional injuries".
During the hearing, the young woman had expressed her regret.
Her lawyer had described her as "fragile".
"This fragility has been increased tenfold so that today my client is going through hell", underlined Me Julien Bradmetz.
The prosecution requested a four-month suspended prison sentence against the young woman, whose criminal record was clean.
During her police custody, she had expressed "a feeling of shame and fear in the face of the media coverage of the case".
ASO, organizer of the Tour de France, had lodged a complaint, before withdrawing it.
#opiomi Wanted in Finistère pic.twitter.com/tLT0zLrjMx
- 🌔 selênitês 🌎 (@ apollo_18__) June 27, 2021
By positioning herself with her back to the race, the young woman had not seen the peloton arrive.
The German Tony Martin was the first to hit the sign, dragging around fifty runners in his fall.
Several runners had to give up after this heavy fall.
Spaniard Marc Soler (Movistar) had suffered three broken arms in particular.
“The damage suffered by runners is physical, moral and economic.
An athlete trains for months for a great tour and it is not acceptable that all of his hard work, that of his family, his staff and his team is dashed in an instant by the quest for popularity of those who should. attend the event without becoming the protagonists, ”denounced the president of the international organization Professional Cyclists Associates (CPA) Gianni Bugno.
Sport
Cycling: "After giving up on the Tour, I wanted to hide" ... Arnaud Démare looks back on his complicated 2021 season
Sport
Cycling: Sagan fined for injuring police for fear he would be forced to get vaccinated
Bike
Fall
Brest
Justice
Cycling
Tour de France
Sport
Cycling
0 comment
0 share
Share on Messenger
Share on Facebook
Share on twitter
Share on Flipboard
Share on Pinterest
Share on Linkedin
Send by Mail
To safeguard
A fault ?
To print