Fan behavior continues to be a major issue on the Tour de France. Riders are forced to dodge hundreds, if not thousands of spectators over the course of multiple stages.
The annual safety concern does not seem to get any better despite constant pleas for change!
Tour de France organizers issued a statement that asked spectators of this year’s historic bike race to respect the riders after a rowdy and potentially dangerous opening weekend. The Tour’s Grand Départ in northern France was marked by smoke bombs and flares. Especially at the end of Stage 2.
Riders attacked the closing climb of the Côte d’Outreau through a cloud of thick red smoke generated from flares. It might look cool in the moment or on camera but it creates a legitimate issue for the riders. That also goes for spectators who run alongside the cyclists and/or the peloton.
⚠️ For your own safety and that of the riders, do not use smoke bombs and do not run alongside the riders!
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 6, 2025
⚠️ Pour votre sécurité et celle des coureurs, n'utilisez pas de fumigènes et ne courez pas à côté des coureurs !#TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/CcHoNRn53g
As a result of the rowdy start to 2025, the Tour de France issued the following statement:
⚠️ For your own safety and that of the riders, do not use smoke bombs and do not run alongside the riders!
— Tour de France
Race director Thierry Gouvenou was (and is) outraged by the behavior.
I hope we don’t have so many idiots in the mountains. [The riders are] in full effort, they’re breathing as hard as they can, and they have to hold their breath for a few seconds. It’s incomprehensible to hinder athletes to this extent.
Behind, the cloud of smoke means that we no longer see the danger ahead and that can cause falls. I think that we have people who are completely unaware of the safety problems and this really needs to stop because it puts the riders in danger, it puts the Tour de France in danger and it is unacceptable.
— Thierry Gouvenou
This kind of thing has been a problem for as long as I can remember. There is no way to install barriers on the mountains or on the tight roads of small-town France so spectators get way too close to the riders.
Even just last year, a rogue fan caused a cyclist to shatter his teeth in a nasty crash before the race began, a man was nearly run over by a car after he was kicked into the street by a vigilante, and somebody threw potato chips directly into the face of the leaders on a breakaway. One particular video from this year’s race puts the danger into perspective. It shows the peloton riding up a cobblestone road. Spectators are forced to retreat from the road in frantic fashion as the cyclists approach at top speed. They just barely get out of the way before they cause what would be a gruesome pile-up.
Fan behavior on the Tour de France continues to be a disaster waiting to happen. Everybody wants to get as close to the action as possible. No other sport can match this kind of access. People wait hours just to catch a glimpse of the race for just a few moments. I get it but we all need to take a collective step back.