Tour de France halted after massive crash

The Tour de France had to be temporarily stopped on Saturday after a massive crash involving multiple cyclists.

It is unclear what caused the crash, but one rider has already had to withdraw from the race after the accident.

Occurring towards the back of the race, the cyclists were seen strewn across the road as they speed through the French countryside.

🚴🇫🇷 | Oh nee, wat gebeurt hier?! Een massale valpartij in het peloton en er zijn een hoop serieuze slachtoffers. De koers is voorlopig stilggelegd. 😲😲 #TDF2023⁣⁣
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📺 Koers kijk je op discovery+ pic.twitter.com/Rr0hjUn9X6

— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) July 15, 2023

Whilst the number of riders has yet to be confirmed, initial reports suggest that up to 30 cyclists were involved in the collision - with 15 potentially injured.

It happened just a few kilometres into Stage 14 of the race, with Moviestar's rider Antonio Pedrero hurt during the accident.

Shortly after the crash, the athlete was loaded onto a stretcher and then into an awaiting ambulance.

His team later gave an update via Twitter, confirming his exit from the Tour with a statement which read: "Unfortunately, the 14th stage of @letour_es | #TDF2023 begins with the second retirement for the Movistar Team: @pedrero_antonio."

They added "The Catalan, one of the most affected in a pileup, will not be able to reach Paris in his first 'Grande Boucle'.

Sadly, the cyclist was the only one to pull out of the race for the coveted yellow jersey.

Despite the race now restarting, Louis Meintjes was also forced to abandon the Tour de France after reportedly breaking his collarbone during the pile-up.

Though his injury is unconfirmed, Eurosport's Orla Chennaoui tweeted about the Intermarché–Circus–Wanty team member and confirmed he'd left the race.

She wrote: "Louis Meintjes out now too. All the best to him."

"The race has to wait to have enough ambulances to restart so riders still waiting for the stage to restart."

As he now recovers, ITV Cycling also confirmed that a number of riders were receiving treatment.

Among them was British rider Tom Pidcock, with news outlet Nieuwsblad stating that he has continued on as the race restarts in the French countryside.

Less than 30 minutes after the initial accident, officials recommenced the Tour resume with a 2 km neutral zone now in place.

Not everyone has gotten back in the saddle yet, with some riders even requesting a break, including Australia's Ben O’Connor, but this has been overruled by officials overseeing the event.

Riders will now make their ascent towards the first climb of Stage 14, as they continue to sprint along the peloton.

The cyclists will have to make a speedy recovery as there are still another seven stages of the Tour to go after Saturday.