Crashes are unfortunately a common occurrence in the Tour de France, but the first crash of the 2024 event occurred even before the start of the opening stage in Florence, when Jan Hilt (Soudal-Quick Step) got caught in a spectator's bag and hit the deck, breaking his tooth The result was.

The organizers reportedly lost control at the Grande Pearl in Tuscany. The commotion forced the players to split into a large crowd on their way back to the team bus from the sign-on, where Hilt caught the handle on a fan's bag and fell on his face.

The news was first reported by HLN, which said the Czech climber suffered a ruptured lip and that team doctors quickly treated him and looked for part of a broken tooth. This was confirmed by team boss Patrick Lefebvre on X's Twitter page, along with a photo of Hilt.

"The team has 100 rules, but one (spectator) with a backpack on crashed Jan Hilt between the autograph session and the bus, breaking three teeth," he said.

Hilt was one of the key climbing domestiques supporting debutant star Remco Evenpoel, along with the likes of Mikel Landa. He got off to a good start but soon found himself struggling at the back of the pack.

Sudar Quickstep and his hilt teammates were not happy with the accident.

"It's complete chaos. The organization is totally out of control. People are running everywhere," Yves Lampaert told VTM Nieuws.

"Jan also went too far. We riders get fined for small things. That is unacceptable."

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