The worst crashes in the history of the Tour de France

The 110^th edition of the Tour de France starts on Saturday, with the greatest cyclists on earth battling it out over 3,404km of terrain.

In the aftermath of Gino Mader's death, who crashed at the Tour de Suisse on the 16th of June, the fear of danger will be looming in the racers' heads as Saturday approaches.

The Tour de France offers the most desirable challenge for all of the elite cyclists, but with the advanced speeds of the bikes today, the sport has become more dangerous.

Adam Hansen, the president of the riders union, said: "The bikes have become much faster, and the overall competition level has reached new heights. When all these factors combine, it creates a significantly higher level of danger."

Since its opening race in 1903, the Tour de France has seen some frightening crashes, with drivers putting their life on the line to win a stage and the race.

Here are the worst crashes in Tour de France history.

Perhaps the scariest crash in cycling is when a cyclist is descending down a hill and that's what happened to Jens Voigt, who crashed in excess of 60mph travelling down the col du Petit Saint Bernard.

After the crash, Voigt lay still on the road, leaving fans fearing for the worst. Despite that, the rider did survive, suffering a fractured cheekbone and a concussion.

Laurent Jalabert was a master sprint racer in the early 90s but had established himself as the perfect all-rounder after a sprint finish incident with a policeman at the final stage of the race.

Jalabert hit the police officer with some force, leaving his bike destroyed and him lying in a pool of his own blood, fracturing a cheekbone in the process.

In the pursuit of his fifth Tour de France victory, Bernard Hinault had a severe crash at stage 14 of the race. The legendary rider was forced over his handlebars after a five man mix up, badly breaking his nose.

The more remarkable part of the story is that Hinault continued to race the final stages with a broken nose and breathing issues, going on to win his fifth Tour de France title.

At stage nine of the Tour de France in 2011, Johnny Hoogerland was swiped by a car and sent into a barbed wire fence, leaving Hoogerland with cuts and blood all over him.

Even 12 years after the horrific incident, Hoogerland still suffers with back pains, mood swings and insomnia from the terrible incident.

Wim Van Est was the victim of the worst crash in Tour de France history, tumbling down a 70m deep ravine after suffering from a flat tyre and a big slip.

The Dutch rider wasn't even wearing a helmet, but shockingly, with no major injuries and the help of some spectators, Van Est continued to ride before heading to the hospital at the race end.