Italian cyclist Daniel Oss fractured a vertebrae in his neck after colliding with fans during the Tour de France on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old was riding down a cobbled street during Stage 5 of the race between Lille, France, and Arenberg, Germany, when the crash sent him flying, according to CNN. Footage on social media showed Oss losing his balance and running into a fan before hitting the ground.
The Team TotalEnergies rider forged ahead and finished Stage 5 before seeking medical attention. His team sponsor confirmed in a statement that Oss had fractured a cervical vertebrae in his neck and has dropped out of this year’s race.
The statement, which is written in French, added that the team wishes him a good recovery.
Oss crashed during the third of 11 precarious sections of cobblestone within Stage 5. Footage of the crash was published to Twitter by a user under the name Victor Loy. It shows a fan leaning out into the cycling path to film riders before being hit.
Two other riders behind Oss crashed into the accident scene and were forced to drop out of Stage 6 in Binche, Belgium, on Thursday, according to the New York Post.
Michael Gogle, an Austrian rider for the Alpecin-Deceuninck team, broke his pelvis and collarbone and will undergo surgery in Herentals, Belgium, as a result. Jack Haig of the Bahrain Victorious team, meanwhile, suffered injuries after crashing into a loose barrier blocking the road.
“Haig was taken to the hospital following the crash,” Bahrain Victorious said in a statement. “Jack had multiple abrasions and bruises over the body and required stitches for a cut above the elbow. CT scans also revealed multiple non-displaced wrist fractures.”
Wednesday’s crash reminded many of the Tour de France fiasco of 2021, when a spectator holding up a cardboard sign in the path of oncoming riders led to a disastrous pileup that forced numerous cyclists to the ground.
As for Oss, the athlete is expected to make a full recovery and to be among his peers once again in 2023.