Elderly Woman on Mobility Scooter Triggers Mass Crash at German Cycling Race

A prestigious junior cycling race in Germany turned chaotic on Sunday when an elderly woman on a mobility scooter unexpectedly entered the riders’ course during the Saarland Trofeo Juniors. The incident set off a pileup that sent dozens of cyclists crashing into one another and into the air, with video of the scene quickly spreading online.

According to the footage, the woman slowly moved from the spectators’ area directly into the race lane. One rider barely avoided her, but Dutch cyclist Paul Verisman, who was following behind, struck the scooter hard and was thrown into the air. At least four more riders fell in the chain reaction, landing on the road.

No serious injuries were reported among those involved. Verisman, who had also been involved in another serious crash earlier this season, wrote on social media that he was “speechless at how something like this can happen,” adding that it was “another hard blow after hard work.”

The episode drew comparisons to a similar incident at the 2021 Tour de France, when a French woman caused a major crash after stepping into the route with a sign for her grandparents. She fled the scene, later turned herself in four days afterward, and the race eventually agreed not to pursue charges.