American cyclist Brandon McNulty faced a dangerous situation on Tuesday before Stage 16 of the Tour de France. While riding his bicycle on a public road toward the start of the individual time trial, an aggressive driver confronted him in an apparent road rage incident.
Angry driver causes road crash
The scary encounter occurred after a furious motorist passed the rider and abruptly slammed on the brakes. UAE Team Emirates manager Mauro Gianetti explained that:
“He was just coming to the start with a bike and one car was a little bit upset behind him, we don’t know why.” Gianetti added that “he overtook Brandon and he stopped the car and unfortunately Brandon he crashed into the car.”
Team confirms no major injuries
Fortunately, McNulty avoided serious harm during the unexpected impact. Assessing the physical condition of the rider, Gianetti noted that “apparently, it’s nothing so big and it’s all good but it was not nice.”
Team representatives clarified that the driver involved was a member of the general public and had no connection to the official race organization.
McNulty cleared to continue race
Despite the frightening pre-race collision, McNulty was cleared by medical officials to start the technical 26.1-kilometers stage as scheduled. The Phoenix native remains a crucial mountain helper for overall race leader Tadej Pogacar as the Tour heads into its final week of competition.
