Brandon McNulty was knocked off his bike by the driver of a car just before the stage 16 individual time trial at the Tour de France in Évian-les-Bains, but he still rolled down the start ramp on time.
The crash happened as McNulty headed to the start on his bike, putting a brief scare into UAE Team Emirates-XRG before the stage. He was one of the final 20 riders to begin, and he started the day 19th overall, more than 50 minutes behind Tadej Pogačar, who was due off last at 17:15 CEST.
Mauro Gianetti said the team did not see the incident as serious. Speaking to TNT Sports, he said it was “nothing big” and explained that a car from the public was involved. “He was just coming to the start with the bike. One car was a little bit upset behind him; we don't know why, and then he overpassed Brandon, and he stopped the car. Unfortunately, of course, Brandon, he crashed on the car,” Gianetti said.
That description leaves one key gap: why the driver braked and stopped in the first place. Gianetti said McNulty appeared to be all right, but added that he was still waiting for the doctor’s confirmation. For now, the important fact is that the former US TT champion took his place on the clock despite the fall, and the race moved on with the incident treated as a concern rather than a setback.
