"Do not use smoke bombs and do not run alongside the riders!" - Tour de France sends plea to fans at the roadside

The biggest cycling race on the planet, the Tour de France understandably sees fans flock to the roadside in their considerable number over the course of the Grand Tour. It's fair to say however, that some spectators are better behaved than others.

Already in 2025, there have been instances of crowd trouble at races, with the likes of Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar falling victims of spectators taking things a little too far. With a few close calls narrowly averted on stage 2 of the Tour de France as fans stepped out into the road to get pictures of the peloton as they passed, or attempted to run alongside the bunch on the climbs with a flare in their hand, dousing the peloton in smoke, the race organisation has now sent out a plea to those hoping to see the race over the next 19 stages.

"For your own safety and that of the riders, do not use smoke bombs and do not run alongside the riders!" warned a post to the official X (Twitter) account of the Tour de France, highlighting exactly what they mean with some footage of stage 2.

As mentioned, this is far from a new topic of discussion in cycling. Previously, the race director of the Tour de France - Christian Prudhomme urged fans to respect the riders as they pass. "It is often said that the biggest problem in road safety is fog. And that is exactly what smoke bombs do," he explained. "They do not belong in cycling races. They cause the Tour riders to inhale a nauseating smell and they are also blinded by it."

With nearly three weeks of racing still to go at the 2025 Tour de France, it will be interesting to see if the fans travelling to the race heed this advice.