"They must also respect the riders" - Jasper Philipsen worries about spectator-caused crashes

Jasper Philipsen has been out of true action for a few days at the Tour de France, trying to get through the mountains saving himself as much as possible and not taking risks. However he's been nervous with the mass crashes which have taken place throughout the weekend and asks for more respect from spectators.

At the starting kilometers of stage 15, another huge fall took place in the peloton. "I almost got caught in the collective crash, but I managed to get out of it," Philipsen revealed in a flash interview. "It was still a difficult day, but I survived and I'm ready for the rest day. The biggest danger for my green jersey, it's the fall or a disease."

For the second day in a row a mass crash happened early in the day. This time around, a spectator seemed to be in the root of the crash, hitting Sepp Kuss who was at the head of the peloton, then snowballing into a chaotic situation. Philipsen barely managed to avoid the incident, but remained on the bike and has survived another mountain stage at the end of the day. 

"I think it's amazing that the Tour de France has so many fans, it's a pleasure. It's important for us to practice our sport as well as possible and we also achieve that thanks to the fans. But, of course , they must also respect the riders," he concludes.