Crashes are unfortunately commonplace at the Tour de France but the first of the 2024 edition came even before the start of the opening stage in Florence, as Jan Hirt (Soudal Quick-Step) hit the deck and broke his teeth after getting caught on a spectator’s bag.
Organisers reportedly lost control at the Grand Départ in Tuscany, where spectators bypassed barriers and found their way into the team area. The commotion caused riders to have to part big crowds en route from sign-on back to their team buses, where Hirt caught his handlebars on the bag of a fan and fell onto his face.
The news was first reported by HLN, who stated that the Czech climber had burst his lip and that team doctors were immediately there to treat him and look for part of his broken teeth. This was confirmed by team boss Patrick Lefevere on X formerly Twitter, with a picture of Hirt.
“There are 100 rules for the team but one [spectator] with a backpack made crashing Jan Hirt between the signings and the bus. 3 teeth broken,” he said.
Hirt is one of the key climbing domestiques supporting debutant star Remco Evenepoel alongside the likes of Mikel Landa. He took the start but was quickly struggling off the back – hopefully, his injuries won’t get any worse.
It’s fair to say that both Soudal Quick-Step and Hirt’s teammates weren’t happy with the incident.
“It is complete chaos. The organization has no control over it at all. People are running everywhere,” said Yves Lampaert to VTM Nieuws. “Jan went over the top. We riders get fines galore for small things, the organization should take a look in the mirror. It is unacceptable.”