A day of incident on stage 8 of the Tour de France didn't end with Mark Cavendish's crash and withdrawal 60km from the line in Limoges. Later on GC men Simon Yates and Mikel Landa would shed 47 seconds following a crash just 6km out.
Both men carried on to the finish, along with others caught up – Gianni Moscon, Ruben Guerreiro, Jenthe Biermans, and Florian Vermeersch – though TotalEnergies rider Steff Cras wasn't so lucky.
The Belgian became the second man out of the race during the stage, with a post-race medical report noting his injuries as a 'right ankle and right knee trauma'. He later took to Twitter to point the blame for the mass crash for a spectator stepping out into the road.
"When a spectator step up more than one metre up the road and don't move when the peloton arrives then you better stay home," Cras wrote. "You have no respect for the riders. I hope you feel really guilty! I have to leave the Tour because of you."
When a spectator step up more than one meter up the road and don’t move when the peleton arrive than you better stay home. You have no respect for the riders. I hope you feel really guilty! I have to leave @LeTour because of you #TDF2023July 8, 2023
Jayco-AlUla leader Yates, who was lying fourth overall heading into the stage, now drops two places to sixth at 4:01 down on maillot jaune Jonas Vingegaard, while Bahrain Victorious leader Landa drops three places to 14th at 6:36.
The Basque climber was checked out in the Tour's X-Ray truck following the stage, and upon exiting told Spanish reporters that he would be starting stage 9 to the summit finish of Puy de Dôme.
Yates is also set to continue, with Jayco-AlUla directeur sportif saying after the stage that the crash and time loss was "a small piece of three-week racing".
"It's the Tour. Things can always be better, and things can always be worse," White told Cyclingnews in Limoges. "He's won Grand Tours before; he's podiumed Grand Tours before. It's a small piece of three-week racing, that's all it is."
White couldn't confirm any injuries Yates may have sustained in the crash so soon after the finish, but the team later said he suffered light abrasions and has some ongoing pain and stiffness in his pelvis due to the hard impact.
White did, however, say that Yates thought the crash may have been caused by a spectator, while also confirming that the team would keep on trucking – the time loss doesn't change their plan for the remainder of the Tour.
"Simon thinks that maybe someone hit a spectator, but he doesn't know because he was trying to keep it upright," White said.
"It doesn't change the plan at all. It's the Tour de France. If you lose 15 seconds, 30 seconds, it's a three-week race. It doesn't change anything we're doing at all."
Jayco-AlUla later provided a medical update on Yates, stating that he'll continue to be monitored ahead of stage 9.
"Simon Yates was involved in a crash with just under 6km to go on stage 8 at the Tour de France. Thankfully he was able to finish the stage & has since been checked over by our medical team.
"Yates suffered light abrasions & has some ongoing pain & stiffness in his pelvis due to the hard impact. He will continue to be monitored closely by the medical team ahead of tomorrow's ninth stage."
