A Tour de France spectator who caused a rider pileup in June will have to pay a 1,200 euro fine ($1,350).
The 31-year-old woman, who has not been identified, stepped onto the path holding a sign before TV cameras saluting her grandparents with her back facing the incoming cyclists. German rider Tony Martin bumped her and fell, causing a chain-reaction crash of other riders 28 miles from the end of the first stage, between Brest and Landerneau, in northwestern France.
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Two riders exited the competition as a result of the accident, and another eight were injured, according to the BBC. The woman fled the chaotic scene, prompting a search. She eventually turned herself in and was arrested June 30.
In addition to paying the $1,350 fine, a criminal court in Brest on Thursday ordered her to pay a symbolic 1 euro fine to the association of French professional cyclists, a plaintiff in the case.
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The charges of causing unintentional injuries and endangering lives could carry steeper penalties. But prosecutor Solenn Briand said the woman recognized “how dangerous” her behavior had been and expressed remorse, according to Agence France-Presse. She told the court in October she was ashamed at her “stupidity.”
Shortly after the accident, Tour de France organizers sounded a combative tone, initially suing the woman to set an example. They withdrew the lawsuit in July, saying at the time the story had been “blown out of proportion.”
“She did something daft. She’s no terrorist,” director of the Tour, Christian Prudhomme, told reporters in October, according to the AFP.
“We just want people to take care when they come to the Tour and remember they are there to see the champions and not to get on television,” Prudhomme said.
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