Tour de France leader Chris Froome was forced to abandon his bike and run up part of the course after crashing into a motorbike on the climb of the iconic Mont Ventoux.
The sight of a desperate Froome running for a kilometre up the hill, being cheered on by fans, was an unusual one.
Briton Froome was with Australian Richie Porte and Bauke Mollema of the Netherlands when all three crashed into a motorcycle that had stopped because of fans spilling onto the course. Froome, realising his bike was unusable, was desperate to not lose his place.
During the three-week race, which covers 3,500 kilometres, millions of spectators line the route to cheer on participants.
Froome’s countryman Adam Yates temporarily grabbed first place as a result of the crash but the defending champion’s leading position was later restored after the incident was deemed a result of extenuating circumstances.
