This year's Tour de France has been filled with no shortage of crashes, some of which have been caused by stupid fans taking stupid selfies. But so far Vincenzo Nibali, the tour leader, has managed to avoid them. Until today.
En route to his Stage 18 win, Nibali, who now leads the Tour by more than seven minutes, got intimate with a fan who apparently did not realize that she was in the road with her back turned as the tour leader was approaching. A quick brush of the elbow and a swerve around, and Nibali was back on track. There was no word on the fan's cell phone, which was sent bouncing off the pavement.
Cycling is a sport that seems to, if not encourage, then at least turn a blind eye to its special brand of idiot on the field. But if its best riders in its premier race continue to be impeded by its fans, it's only a matter of time before the barricades go up and the tour goes off limits.