Tour de France 2016: Chris Froome forced to run up part of Mont Ventoux

Cyclist Chris Froome discovered two legs were almost as good as two wheels after the Tour de France descended into farce as the defending champion was left running up Mont Ventoux after crashing into a motorbike on the climb of the iconic mountain.

Briton Froome was with Australian Richie Porte and Bauke Mollema of the Netherlands when all three crashed into a motorcycle that was halted because of fan overcrowding.

During the three-week race, which covers 3,500 kilometers, millions of spectators line the route and on the summit finishes, where the race is effectively decided, thousands of avid fans camp out for days to find a viewing spot ahead of the peloton’s fleeting arrival.

Froome’s compatriot Adam Yates temporarily grabbed first place as a result of the crash – although the defending champion’s leading position was later restored after the incident was deemed a result of extenuating circumstances.

Froome did not appear to be injured after Thursday’s collision, but he quickly realized his bike wasn’t up to the job anymore if he was to reach the finishing line.

So while waiting for his team to bring a new bike, Froome ran up Mont Ventoux’s steep incline, before hopping on a neutral bike – which he found unusable – and then finally on a team bike to finish the twelfth stage.

Froome dropped from first to sixth place as a result of the setback, and had trailed 23-year-old Yates by 53 seconds in the provisional standings before the decision was reversed.

“The motorcycle couldn’t pass because of thousands of fans,” Froome’s sports director at Team Sky Nicolas Portal told reporters. “It’s not one, two or 10, but for 200 meters there were hundreds of fans.”

Froome’s main rivals, including Colombian Nairo Quintana, were also held up by the crash as a throng of fans obstructed the road.

Porte hit the motorbike with Froome next and Mollema also running into the back of the vehicle.

Just the 3,500 kilometers to negotiate over the next three weeks for the riders competing in this year"s Tour de France ...

The favorite to win the 2016 race is Team Sky's Chris Froome, who is pictured at the back.

Froome is pictured powering to victory on stage 15 of the 2013 Tour de France on the climb to the Mont Ventoux summit. He is race favorite this year.

Colombia's Nairo Quintana and last year's yellow jersey winner Froome are expected to battle it out again for race honors in this year's Tour de France.

The rugged and unforgiving landscape on Mont Ventoux has seen it nicknamed the "Bald Mountain" with its slopes of just rock and scree.

Tour organizers are also promising to tackle motorized doping with thermal imaging techniques and other unspecified measures as they try to keep the race clean.

Mark Cavendish wins the stage on the Champs Elysees in 2012, his fourth straight in the French capital. He is hoping to wear yellow for the first time by taking the first stage in Normandy.

Andre Greipel (right) wins the second stage of the 2015 Tour ahead of Peter Sagan (center) and Fabian Cancellara (left). Greipel and Sagan will again be battling it out for the green jersey.

The powerful Marcel Kittel of Germany enjoyed a superb 2014 with victories in the Tour de France and here on the second stage of the Giro d'Italia. The German is another contender for green.

Alberto Contador will be bidding for his third victory in the Tour de France.

Mass pile ups in the peloton are an occupational hazard of a professional cyclist's life -- but it still hurts.

Amid the pain, there is beauty as well for the riders to appreciate as they battle it out over 21 stages in cycling's greatest race.

Over enthusiastic fans can pose a risk to riders and here a Colombian supporter is pulled aside by a gendarme during the 2015 race won by Froome.

A spectator takes a photo of the Tommy Simpson memorial on Mont Ventoux. British cyclist Simpson died on the mountain during the 1967 Tour de France.

Daniel Teklehaimanot of Eritrea and MTN-Qhubeka made history when he became the first African to hold the polka dot jersey for best climber during the 2015 Tour. He is targeting stage wins this year.

Tour organizers have stepped up security and the police presence ahead of this year's race with the promise to deploy over 23,000 officers, including members of the French Special Forces, on the route.

Tour de France race director, Christian Prudhomme, announces that next year's Tour will start in Dusseldorf in Germany. The 2016 edition largely stays in France with a brief visit to the principality of Andorra and also Spain and Switzerland.

Tour de France: Cycling's greatest race

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Six-time Olympic cycling champion Chris Hoy tweeted: “Something has to done re the crowd control, it’s beyond a joke.”

But the lasting memory will be one of Froome running uphill for the final kilometer in a desperate attempt not to lose valuable time.

It’s not the first time this year’s Tour, the 103rd edition of cycling’s most famous race, has encountered organizational problems.

On stage seven the inflatable arch indicating the race’s final kilometer has been reached deflated, bringing down Yates, as he passed beneath it.