A cyclist was left hanging from a bridge after a horrifying crash during the second stage of the Star of Bessèges race in France.

Several riders were caught up in the dramatic collision on day two of the five-day event, which led to the stage eventually being abandoned.

The accident caused a significant pile-up around 22km from the stage's finish line.

The debris of riders and their bikes was so treacherous that Valentin Ferron - who rides for Total Energies cycling team - was left hanging on by his arms from the side of a bridge.

Bikes and fallen riders blocked his path back to safety and he was required to use his strength to keep him at the side of the bridge.

The narrow bridge saw continued accidents, despite others approaching with hesitancy, causing a bottleneck.

Multiple riders needed treatment but no serious injuries were caused.

However, due to the medical presence required to deal with the accident on the bridge, the rest of the stage was canceled after the event ran out of medics and ambulances.

This meant a decision was taken by the event's organizers that it would be unsafe to continue, with no medical personnel available in case there were further accidents later in the day.

As a result, the race's second stage ended without a winner, meaning Arnaud De Lie of Belgium - who won stage one - keeps his lead ahead of stage three on Friday. .....