LILLE, France, April 12, 2009 (AFP) – Ten people were hurt, three of them seriously, Sunday, when a motorbike crashed into fans lining the route of the classic Paris-Roubaix cycling race in northern France, emergency services said.

“A motorbike from the race organization struck the crowd,” a spokesman for Lille emergency services told AFP, saying he had no further details on the extent of the injuries.

Two rescue helicopters and a dozen fire engines were at the scene, he added.

The accident happened around 3:45 pm (1345 GMT) near the northern town of Orchies.