When a large crash occurred in the road, the circled riders flew up onto the pavement, only coming to a stop when they hit the traffic lights against the wall. There seemed to be little by way of warning the riders about the junction.

Roxane Fournier hits traffic lights at women's Ronde Van Vlaanderen

A number of ridders in the women's Tour of Flanders have crashed into traffic lights on the pavement.

They came down as a larger crash occurred in the middle of the peloton on a street intersection.

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Because the incident occurred at a crossroads there was a large amount of street furniture on the pavement.

And none of it was protected with padding or by marshals warning the peloton.

Two of the riders veered off the road in a bid to avoid the main crash.

But in the wet conditions, and with limited time to react, they appeared to struggle to control their speed.

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Instead of stopping they veered off the road and up onto the pavement, coming to a stop when they hit traffic lights hard.

Roxane Fournier of FDJ came off worst when she was effectively pinned against the traffic lights but one of the other riders.

Furthermore, her team said she had been taken to hospital and more news was awaited.

Julia Soek (Team Sunweb) was also forced to abandon the race as a result of the crash.

#RVVWomen♀ #RVV18 @Sheyarcoiris & an @FDJ_NAqui_Fut rider hit a semaphore in the earlier crash. pic.twitter.com/sfSbcsn1eR

— Brain on Wheels ? (@BrainOnWheels) April 1, 2018