This video, recorded by a fan and slowed down, shows another fan's camera strap swinging into Nibali. He then comes crashing down onto the tarmac with 4km remaining on Alpe d'Huez

Fan's video shows camera strap cause Nibali crash

Vincenzo Nibali is out of the Tour de France having crashed with just over 4km remaining on Alpe d'Huez on today's stage 12.

The Italian, riding for Bahrain Merida, battled back onto his bike and finished the stage.

Indeed, at the finish he was just seconds down on the favourites group he had just crashed out of.

But he was taken to hospital and has been diagnosed with fractured vertebrae; a non-displaced fracture of the T10 vertebra. As a result, he has been forced out.

Nibali's crash was blamed initially on a race or police moto. However, this new clip below tells a different story.

It was recorded by a fan by the roadside where Nibali crashed on Alpe d'Huez. And it shows another fan using a camera, the strap from which is swaying.

It appears to have tangled with Nibali's bike and pulled him down in an instant. The raw footage is in the first tweet below; it's shaky and the quality is poor.

However, in the second clip it's slowed down and the camera strap is clearly seen swaying right next to Nibali.

With him gone, and Richie Porte (BMC) having been forced out on stage 9, two heavy hitters for the general classification are now gone home.

Nibali explained he crashed very suddenly. He didn't appear to know exactly what happened.

"The road became narrower and there were no barriers. There were two police motorbikes," he said.

A fan recorded this clip, and it's slowed down in the second Tweet.

Another clip, third below, is not as close to the crash but it is clearer. And it shows yellow jersey Geraint Thomas was forced to unclip.

Te prometí algo bueno de Alpe d'Huez profe @jhonjaimeosorio , acá tienes la razón de la pérdida de tiempo de vinci pic.twitter.com/wYUrI73Qkc

— Diego Alvarez (@diegoalvarez12) July 19, 2018

No motorbike. It looks like #Nibali crash was caused by a camera strap. #TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/dRqxmTvDE0

— André Ferreira (@_andrecferreira) July 19, 2018

Wenige Meter vor der 4km Marke hinauf nach Alpe d' Huez... der in Führung liegende Kruijswijk und kurz darauf durch ein Motorrad zu Fall gekommende Vincenzo Nibali... #TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/0Joia78zci

— Radsportcafé (@radsportcafe) July 19, 2018

Haurem d'esperar a veure el video d'algun aficionat per veure què ha passat amb Nibali. La moto que seguia el grup se l'ha trobat després d'un núvol provocat per una bengala. #TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/oUQ3YgbTbc

— Javier Gilabert ? (@tourdegila) July 19, 2018