Two Teams Crash at Same Spot in Tour de France TTT

Riders from Groupama-FDJ and XDS Astana crashed at the same spot during Saturday’s opening Tour de France team time trial, and eyewitness video shared with Velo appears to show why.

The footage suggests riders from both teams struck the same manhole cover during Saturday’s 19.6km opener in Barcelona, with the impact appearing to jolt the bikes just enough to upset the riders’ balance before they lost control.

The high-speed crashes left riders covered in cuts and road rash on the opening day of the Tour.

Groupama-FDJ confirmed that Clément Berthet will not continue in the 2026 Tour after his crash, making him the race’s first abandonment.

XDS Astana said all of its riders are expected to start Sunday’s second stage.

“No fractures or serious injuries for our riders, but they all, @NicoVino13, @haroldtejada1 and @simovelasco suffered bruises and multiple extensive abrasions.”

The videos have since racked up more than 2.5 million views online, fueling questions about why a manhole cover was part of the fastest line of a Tour de France TTT.

The footage shows riders hugging the right side of the road approaching a fast left-hand corner just moments before appearing to strike the manhole cover.

The cover had been marked with fluorescent paint, but at speeds approaching 60kph, riders had little time to react.

Police later directed teams around the hazard, but only after riders from Groupama-FDJ and XDS Astana had crashed.

Several camera angles show riders riding over the manhole cover before losing control.

Groupama-FDJ saw two riders crash and XDS Astana had four riders slamming onto the pavement.

‘The crashes were violent’

Henry Magowan, watching behind the barriers, captured both crashes on his phone.

“The crashes were violent,” he told Velo. “I’ve never seen a crash like that in person. It was just before a left-hander, so I think riders were preparing for the corner and that’s why they lost control.”

Magowan, the son of VeloNews co-founder Felix Magowan, said officials realized there was a problem. Police later stood on the course and waved subsequent teams away from the hazard.

Magowan had been filming every team passing through and happened to capture both incidents.

Asked how he happened to capture two of the biggest crashes of the Tour’s opening stage, Magowan laughed.

“Right place at the right time,” he said. “We weren’t even supposed to be there. I wanted to be on the corner to see them there, but my father didn’t want to stand in the sun, so we moved there into the shade.”

The Tour is only one stage old, and it’s already left its first scars.