A huge pileup competing in New Mexico’s Wednesday afternoon. About 13 riders were taken to a local hospital, and two had to be airlifted to a hospital in Tucson, Arizona.
The cyclists, more than half of them in the men’s professional division, had been racing 92 miles from Silver City to Mogollon as part of the tour’s . Cyclist Michael Dziedzic said that a crosswind made a tightly packed group swerve as they were heading downhill.
“Next thing you know, it’s just the sound of broken wheels and frames,” he told the . “All the mechanics were screaming for medics.”
It didn’t help that this , leaving riders little room to avoid the pileup.
“This was the most devastating crash I have ever seen,” cyclist Kirk Carlsen told a .
Three riders for Jamis-Hagens Berman, led by Daniel Jaramillo, managed to avoid the crash and sweep the podium. Race spokesperson Rebecca Reza said Wednesday night that , but added that none had serious injuries.
Cyclist Michael Creed filmed the aftermath of the crash: