Three cyclists collide at 40mph in terrifying crash at the Olympic velodrome... as bikes smash into pieces and fly everywhere in the women's keirin

A horrifying high-speed crash at the Olympic velodrome saw three riders suffer gruesome injuries in the women's keirin event on Thursday.

Medics rushed to the scene as riders slid down the surface of the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome as bikes were smashed to pieces and spectators left stunned following the 40mph collision.

Three out of the six competing cyclists were thrown off their bikes when Netherlands star Steffie van der Peet came off as her machine that had slid out from underneath and prompting her to clatter into those nearby.

Van der Peet was on the outside of the pack and in the blink of an eye found herself uncontrollably careering into other unsuspecting riders that were going through their cooldown.

While being catapulted off her bike, the Dutch cyclist smashed into the back wheel of China’s Yuan Liying who fell sideways into the ground with pieces of her demolished bike flying into the air.

A domino effect then saw her clip Belgium’s Nicky Degrendele, with the pair getting tangled as momentum carried them forward while others attempted to avoid becoming entangled.

Degrendele did well to try and stay on her machine and looked to have avoided the worst of the incident, but was eventually brought down and went over the handlebars with her head appearing to strike the ground.

The Belgian looked in serious discomfort as medical personnel rushed to her aid, while China's Liying was left visibly upset as she was eventually helped back to her feet by support staff.

Van der Peet appeared to be bearing the worst of the injuries as she was seen with burns to her back and left leg where the speed of the crash had caused her clothing to rip.

All three were later gingerly led away by concerned team members who had watched the events unfold in horror as the Olympic event turned into a scene of destruction.

Meanwhile, team technicians began picking up the severely damaged bikes as some were left with huge chunks missing from their wheels with handlebars bent and detached.

Velodrome staff also got to work on trying to repair the track with a hoover sucking up small pieces of debris and pieces of tape being used to cover up dents left in the surface.

Fortunately all three riders were left relatively uninjured following the lengthy delay. Degrendele smiled and waved to the crowd as she was led away back to the athletes seating area. 

The race had already ended at the time of the crash with Degrendele the only rider out of the three to make the women's keirin final where she finished in 11th place. 

Social media was awash with messages from viewers who were astounded by the severity of the crash that could have caused serious injury if the competitors weren't wearing helmets.

Sending vows of support on X, one comment stated: 'Absolutely intense! Glad to hear everyone’s alright and the track’s back in shape.'

Another similarly added: 'At least they are okay,' with a third comment adding: 'It can be dangerous'.