But what happens when a fan goes too far? Well, sometimes, it's not a pretty sight.

Dozens went down

An overeager fan who was trying to have her 15 minutes of fame ended up causing one of the biggest pile ups in Tour de France history.

According to CNN, the incident happened on the first stage of the prestigious cycling competition on Saturday (26 June).

The crash happened with just 45 km to go in the race when an unnamed fan in a yellow raincoat stepped in front of the peloton (the main group of riders, if you're not familiar with cycling terms) while holding a cardboard sign for the television crew.

The sign, which reportedly read 'Allez Opi-Omi' (German for 'Go, Grandma-Grandpa'), was sticking out on the road at handlebar height.

With nowhere to go and not enough time to get out of the way, German cyclist Tony Martin crashed into the spectator, setting off a domino effect that brought down almost the entire peloton.

Here's a video of what happened:

GREAT TO SEE SPECTATORS BACK INVOLVED IN SPORTS EH pic.twitter.com/Kwxj8be2Qh

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) June 26, 2021

The crash left dozens of riders and damaged bikes on the road. The race was held up for several minutes as dazed cyclists pick themselves up.

“We had everything under control until the crash.

"I brought the guys to the front via the right side of the road, but crashed into the sign of the spectator. It all happened very quickly; suddenly almost the entire team was on the ground," Martin said in a team press release after the race.

look at this absolute nightmare that resulted pic.twitter.com/3Nf2QFMqHu

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) June 26, 2021

As a result of the crash, several riders were sent to the hospital for various injuries. Eight other riders needed treatment from the official doctor while a host of others were treated for cuts and bruises.

According to the Tour de France website, three riders have reportedly withdrawn from the competition following the crash.

The crash also derailed the race, as it took the peloton almost 25 kilometers to fully regroup.

The organisers sent out a tweet after the incident, reminding spectators to respect the athletes and their safety:

⚠ We will never say it enough, and the message is pretty clear: Respect the riders and their safety.⚠ On ne le dira jamais assez, mais le message est clair: respectez les coureurs et leur sécurité.#TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/tBBOUxXDm7

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) June 27, 2021

Police are investigating

The police are reportedly looking for the spectator, as she reportedly managed to ditch the scene before police arrived, France24 reported.

The French authorities confirmed that they have launched an investigation into the cause of "unintentional injuries....by manifestly deliberate violation of an obligation of safety or prudence".

They have also called out for witnesses.

Organisers looking to sue

In the aftermath of the pile up, the organisers of the Tour de France are reportedly looking to sue the spectactor, race deputy director Pierre-Yves Thouault told AFP.

"We are suing this woman who behaved so badly.

"We are doing this so that the tiny minority of people who do this don't spoil the show for everyone," Thoualt was quoted as saying.

We hope that the authorities will be able to hunt the spectator down and throw the book at her for causing such a catrastrophe.