Big crash, chaos after bus blocks finish line during Stage 1 of Tour de France

There were a couple of wild scenes during Stage 1 of the Tour de France after one racer went down and took out a few dozen more cyclists with him but not before a cycling team bus got stuck at the finish line —almost shortening the race by two miles.

Call it The Armstong Curse.

With the peloton going at more than 40mph, Omega Pharma-Quickstep's Tony Martin appeared to buckle suddenly, and as his bike jumped and skipped and then slipped from under him several riders were sent flying into the melee.




Right before the crash, the cycling team bus crashed into the banner overhanging the finish line of the first stage of the race in Porto Vecchio, Corsica on Saturday. With the bus briefly stuck and blocking the finish line, organizers reportedly considering cutting short the first stage of the race.

The Orica GreenEdge team bus didn't have enough clearance as it attempted to pass through the finish gate ahead of the cyclists and became lodged. According to USA Today Sports, officials deflated the tires in order to move the bus.

Tour de France officials were willing to shorten the opening stage by two miles if the bus would have remained stuck, per the Associated Press.

Because of the confusion, everyone was given the same finishing time as the winner, the German Marcel Kittel.

At both incidents, loud cursing can be heard in languages you've never heard before.