Nibali to meet French police about Tour de France crash
16 October 2018 04:30
Vincenzo Nibali will be questioned by French police on November 10 about the incident with roadside spectators at the Tour de France that left him with a fractured vertebra, with the Italian confirming to Cyclingnews that both he and the Bahrain-Merida team intend to continue their legal action for possible damages. Nibali's chances of winning the Tour de France ended on stage 12 on the slopes of L’Alpe d’Huez when a spectator's camera strap seemingly caught his handlebars, causing him to crash on his back. Nibali got up to finish the stage but was later diagnosed with a fractured vertebra. He underwent vertebroplasty surgery to stabilise the fracture and ease the pain, but despite riding the Vuelta a España, he was unable to return to his best in time for the UCI Road World Championships and could only fight for second place behind Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) at Saturday’s Il Lombardia.ADVERTISEMENT Nibali is due to head to Zanzibar later this week after attending Bahrain-Merida’s first off-season get together in Como on Monday. On his return he will travel to the Tour de France Saitama Criterium in Japan and then, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, will meet with French police from Grenoble, who are investigating the incident on the slopes of L’Alpe d’Huez. Tour de France organiser ASO could ultimately be held responsible for the damage caused by the incident, but they could argue that it was caused by the reckless behaviour of the roadside fans. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, several Italian spectators who were present near the incident have given evidence. Police are also likely to study social media video content that captured the moment of the incident. Nibali confirmed to Cyclingnews that both he and the Bahrain-Merida team are fighting for compensation, even if the case could be drawn out and costly. Nibali’s trusted lawyer Fausto Malucchi has already filed a formal complaint with French police, sparking the investigation. Planning for 2019 with Bahrain-Merida
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