3) Djamolidine Abdoujaparov’s Crash, the 1991 Tour de France

DJ A – as we’re going to call him due to his lengthy, unspellable name – won the Points classification on two attempts at Le Tour; in 1991 and 1993.

That first win finished with flames though, after Abdoujaparov crashed during the final stages of the race on the famous Champs-Elysees in Paris, colliding with the barriers just 100m before the finish and going flying through the air in enough style to give Tom Daly a run for his money.

The rider had enough points by that point to win the Green jersey regardless, but he still had to cross the line to get it. Members of Djamolidine’s team picked him up, got him back on the bike and he slowly rode the final stretch to claim his win with medical staff walking alongside him.

It’s enough to bring a tear to your eye.

5) Giuseppe Guerini’s Crash, the 1999 Tour de France

There are few tolerable ways to crash out of the biggest race in the world, but crashing in the Tour de France because of a spectator must be up there with the most frustrating.

That was exactly the case for one of the most dramatic Tour de France crashes of all time, when Giuseppe Guerini fell at the hands of a member of the crowd during the final few metres of stage 10 back in the final year of the 20^th century.

Guerini left Richard Virenque, who would win the King of the Mountains jersey, and Lance Armstrong, who would ultimately win/EPO his way to the first of his seven titles, in his wake on the famous climb up Alpe d’Huez.

In the final moments however, a spectator stepped out to take a photographer and struck Guerini in the process. Guerini went down, but luckily was able to recover and proceed unhurt.

6) Joseba Beloki’s Crash, the 2003 Tour de France

Spanish road cyclist Joseba Beloki was part of a group of riders chasing down would-be London 2012 Olympic road cycling gold medallist Alexandre Vinokourov, when he was sent flying on a hairpin bend.

Having finished second in the Tour de France in 2002, Beloki was sitting in second place overall behind a certain Lance Armstrong, just 40 seconds back from the all-American do-gooder.

A brutal heat wave had melted the tarmac ahead of Beloki, and with Armstrong on his back wheel during a high speed descent, he crashed out in brutal style, fracturing his femur, elbow and wrist in the process. He wouldn’t ride again until the following here.

The only upside of all this is that Lance Armstrong was forced to ride through a field for a bit and carry his bike over a ditch for a bit before getting back on. He still went on to win the race, but we’re pretty sure he had his title stripped that year for one reason or another. Can’t quite remember why.

8) Sven Krauss’ Crash, the 2008 Tour de France

German rider Sven Krauss caused quite the dose of drama when he flew through the air after losing a battle with a bump in the road in stage 13 of the 2008 Tour.

While he managed to walk away from the crash, his bike certainly didn’t, breaking in half on impact. That’s not one the manufacturers will be slapping on their posters.

9) Oscar Pereiro’s Crash, the 2008 Tour de France

This video tells the tale, really. 2006 Tour de France winner Pereiro was forced into a skid after a rider he was tailing took a tumble, and unable to control his bike, he crashed rather dramatically over the side barrier at the side of the road.

He walked away with a broken arm, which given the circumstances, he was probably thankful for.

10) Jens Voigt’s Crash, the 2009 Tour de France

One of the most terrifying televised moments in the history of road cycling has to be Jens Voigt’s crash coming down the col du Petit Saint Bernard.

Travelling as fast as 60mph, his front wheel slipped sending him head-over-handlebars and flying face first into the ground. A motorcycle just about avoided him, but the cameras streamed Voigt lying still on the road for enough minutes to make the most passive viewer anxious.

In the end, a heavy concussion and a fractured cheekbone was the damage done. It could’ve been so much worse.

11) Jonny Hoogerland’s Crash, the 2011 Tour de France

If you’re squeamish, look away now. Even reading about this brutal Tour de France crash is likely to make you nauseous.

The rivalry between cars and cyclists is nothing new, but you’d think that it’d stay out of the headline at the biggest cycling race in the world. Nope. Well, not in 2011 anyway, when Johnny Hoogerland, along with Juan Antonio Flecha, was knocked into a barbed wire fence by a passing press car.

The crash left Hoogerland with lasting back pain and insomnia, and put an end to his bid to win the mountain jersey, which he had won on the sixth stage, kept through the seventh, and had managed to recapture in the ninth, in the same stage where the accident occurred.

Hoogerland finished the stage despite losing 17 minutes, and went on to finish the entire tour as well. Some man. He still rides on today, currently for Team Roompot.

13) Mark Cavendish’s Crash, the 2014 Tour de France

Poor old Mark Cavendish was hoping to win the Tour de France in 2014, so when he crashed early doors and broke his shoulder, it was devastating not only for Mark but for British fans and for the Tour as a whole.

Mark took responsibility for this crash, saying after that he would “personally apologise” to Simon Gerrans, who he bumped into, in the stage in Harrogate, England.

14) Chris Froome’s Crash, the 2014 Tour de France

Another tough one to take for fans of Team Sky and British supporters, Olympic road cyclist Chris Froome was looking to defend his 2013 Tour de France yellow jersey and hopes were high he could do exactly that.

Unfortunately the Kenyan-born and now two-time Tour winner went down twice in stage five and was forced to abandon with cuts to his wrist and legs.

> Le Tour de France Preview 2016: Who are the Favourites to Win the Yellow Jersey?

He’s one of the favourites for the 2016 Tour de France of course, so perhaps he’ll have better luck defending his crown this time around.

15) Alberto Contador’s Crash, the 2014 Tour de France

Spanish Two-time Tour winner Alberto Contador was right in the mix for the yellow jersey when he crashed out in heartbreaking fashion on stage 10, breaking his tibia.

With Contador, Froome and Cav out of the picture, Vincenzo Nibali was cleared to ride to the most dominant yellow jersey victory since 1997, more than seven minutes ahead of the eventual second placed Jean-Christophe Peraud.

16) The Big Peloton Crash, the 2015 Tour de France

A crash in the peloton can, and almost always does, cause absolute carnage. One man going down can bring the lot down, and that’s near enough what happened when the peloton crashed in the Tour de France in 2015, as the likes of Fabian Cancellara was thrown head over handlebars and forced out of the competition with a fractured vertebrae.

Four other riders had to abandon the Tour as well after being brought down like a bunch of skittles in a bowling alley.

17) Sagan vs. Cavendish, the 2017 Tour de France

The crash that launched a million arguments! It was stage four of the 2017 Tour de France when World Champion Peter Sagan – chasing a record-equalling sixth consecutive green jersey – elbowed and (arguably) took down Mark Cavendish in the final sprint, as the riders got within 200m of the line.

Sagan rode on to second place in the stage only to find out later he had been disqualified from the entire event for the incident. Cavendish was forced to withdraw from the contest with injury.

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