Fan hospitalised after 'awful' crash at cycling's Tour Down Under

Video on social media showed a group of cyclists hitting the barricades on the last corner of the men's classic sprint race around the Adelaide streets on Saturday.

One rider went over the top and into the crowd, with several spectators appearing to be thrown to the ground.

"Sadly, as a result of the collision, a female spectator suffered injuries and was taken to hospital, where she is currently being treated," organisers said in a statement.

"We are in contact with the spectator's family and have offered our support."

South Australia state Premier Peter Malinauskas told local media it was an "awful, freak accident".

"Tragically last night we did see a significant accident occur at the TDU, where cyclists went into spectators," he said.

"It's saddening to report a woman has suffered multiple serious injuries."

Australian race winner Sam Welsford (Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe) said it was a "super-fast corner" with Italy's Manlio Moro from the Movistar team among the riders that crashed.

Britain's Matthew Brennan (Team Visma) saw the pile-up, which happened in front of him.

"It was quite chaotic," he said. "A lot of people were keen, it was the first race of the season and my team did a lot of work to keep me out of trouble and keep me safe."

The sprint race was a prelude to the main men's six-stage event, which starts on Tuesday in the UCI World Tour season-opener.

The three-stage women's race was won on Sunday by Switzerland's Noemi Ruegg.