Bahrain-Merida considering legal action against Tour de France after Nibali crash

21 July 2018 01:10
The Bahrain-Merida team have confirmed to Cyclingnews that they are considering legal action against the organisers of the Tour de France after team leader Vincenzo Nibali was brought down and fractured a vertebrae in a chaotic incident on the climb to L’Alpe d’Huez. Nibali was forced to quit the Tour de France, ending his and Bahrain-Merida’s chances of overall victory. The crash was not captured by live television coverage, and it was initially suspected that the incident had been caused by police motorbikes slowing in front of him. However footage shot by fans on the roadside later suggested that Nibali had fallen after his bike was hooked by the strap of a spectator’s camera. The presence of the police motorbikes, the many fans narrowing the space in the road and flare smoke reducing visibility all compounded events.   Nibali has been told to take 15 days complete rest but could still ride the Vuelta a Espana and so target the world road race championships in Innsbruck in late September.ADVERTISEMENT Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme apologised in person to Nibali after he arrived back at the team hotel in L’Alpe d’Huez after hospital x-rays confirmed his vertebra fracture, and UCI president David Lappartient has also called the team. Prudhomme also publicly called on fans to respect the riders. However team manager Brent Copeland confirmed that Bahrain-Merida are considering legal action. “ I’ve spoken to both Christian Prudhomme and UCI president David Lappartient at length. They apologised and assured us that safety will be improved in future. But for us, that’s not enough; we’ve suffered huge damage as a team. It’s not acceptable. That’s why our lawyers are studying the possibility of legal action,” Copeland told Cyclingnews, repeating what he told La Gazzetta dello sport and Tuttobiciweb. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com.read full article

Source: Cycling News