Kazakh rider Andrey Kashechkin was punched in the face by a spectator as he was tackling the Marie Blanque climb in the Tour de France's 16th stage from Mourenx to Pau today.
"He received a punch in the face. He's stunned. It's unbelievable", said his Credit Agricole team chief Roger Legeay.
The
Kazakh had just launched an attack with compatriot Alexander Vinokourov and American Levi Leipheimer and was riding on the left of the road when a spectator punched him.
His nose covered in blood, he rode back toward the spot where the spectator was standing, apparently to avenge the blow but gave up and waited for the assistance of his team car.
Despite the presence of thousands of fans on the roadsides, such incidents are rare. In 1975, five-times Tour winner Eddy Merckx had been punched in the stomach by a French fan.
Three years ago, in the Giro d'Italia, Italian Wladimir Belli stopped to exchange punches with a spectator who had insulted him and turned out to be a cousin of Italian climber Gilberto Simoni. Belli was kicked out of the race.
