[There was a video here]

Is the 2011 Tour de France cursed? Just one week after a spectator caused the massive pile-up at the beginning of the granddaddy of all bicycle races, a car covering the race for a French TV station sideswiped Juan Antonio Flecha during today's ninth stage.

The impact from his collision with the vehicle (which was subsequently banned by Tour organizers) not only sent Flecha flying into the pavement ahead of him, but also into fellow rider Johnny Hoogerland, who soared off-road—and right into a barbed wire fence—as a result of the impact. Amazingly, both men escaped without serious injuries. But the collision, video of which is above, was still scary enough to raise questions about the safety of Tour riders.