Kiwi cycling fan Anthony Tooman gives his bike to racer Tyler Farrar after the American rider crashed on the Tour Down Under.

A good samaritan act by New Zealand cycling fan Anthony Tooman has saved the day for a crashed American rider in the Tour Down Under in South Australia.

American Tyler Farrar was among six riders who crashed approaching the Corkscrew climb near the end of Thursday's third stage.

The 70kmh crash left Farrar with scrapes and scratches all over his body and a bike too broken to ride. That's when Hamilton cycling fan Tooman stepped in and loaned Farrar his bike and cycling shoes so he could finish the stage.

Tyler Farrar lies on his back on a bank after suffering a crash in the Tour Down Under.

They were different shoe sizes, but close enough for Tour de France rider Farrar to be able to go on.

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Teamdidata/Instagram US rider Tyler Farrar with his Kiwi saviour Anthony Tooman.

Tooman, 42, had travelled to Adelaide from Hamilton to watch the tour when Farrar crashed near him on Gorge Road.

With no team car anywhere near him and the neutral service vehicle already passed, Tooman handed his NZ$7000 bike to the American to see if he wanted to borrow a wheel.

"He said 'na, a wheel is not going to cut it'," Tooman told the Adelaide Advertiser.

"Then it went to 'well, what pedals are you running?' He was on Speedplay and I was on Shimano, and as soon as that was decided it was just 'well you might as well just take everything'.

"Then the next question was 'what size shoe are you?'

"He was a size 43 and I'm a 44, so we swapped shoes, he jumped on my bike, we gave him some water and seeya later."

After giving up his ride, Tooman hopped in an official vehicle to the finish line to get his bike back, where he also posed for photos with Farrar.

"I was surprised at how calm he was and then he was pretty open-minded to any solution, he wasn't fazed at all, it was not a big deal," Tooman said.

"I think if anything, he's a very approachable, humble guy and the whole team are I'd say."

It was 14 years since a fan on the side of the road had loaned a bike to a rider during the tour. In that last instance it was Australian star Michael Rogers who had collided with an official's motorbike. The loan for Rogers proved crucial as he went on to win the tour.

This time, Farrar was near the back of the race after the crash and his team Dimension Data and neutral race officials had gone ahead.

Race officials could have disqualified Farrar for outside assistance, but decided not to take any action.

"A bad crash with several other riders involved created a hectic situation which meant neither his team car nor the event's neutral service vehicle was in a position to provide assistance," the tour said in a statement.

"This ruling respects the spirit of the sport and considers the rather exceptional circumstances in which this occurred."

Farrar was stunned but appreciative of the assistance.

"Without his help, I would've travelled all the way to Australia for only two and a half days of racing," Farrar said, explaining that his bike's gears had been damaged in the crash.

"This shows how friendly the people are here in Australia. We will give him a full kit to say thanks, and if we don't have a spare kit, I'll give him one of mine.

"I've been professional for 14 years, but this is the first time I've ever seen this."



The race continues on Friday with the 138km fourth stage from suburban Norwood to Victor Harbor, south of Adelaide.

Orica-GreenEDGE star Simon Gerrans took the race lead by winning stage three.