Olympic Torch’s Flame Goes Out When Cyclist Falls in Washington

The Olympic flame, slowly making its way to Atlanta, went out briefly Tuesday when a cyclist carrying the torch fell while crossing the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington.

The cyclist tumbled when the rim of his tire caught in the wire grating of the bridge, extinguishing the flame.

“That’s happened before,” said Alison Weir Snook, a spokeswoman for the relay.

A replacement torch was lit from the “mother flame,” said Alexis Davis, a spokeswoman for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games.

“It’s still the Olympic flame,” she added.

Because of high winds, the mode of transportation changed--from bikes to motorcycles--as the procession headed for the Bremerton ferry terminal and the boat to Seattle.

The flame, which was lit in Olympia, Greece, began its 84-day cross-country trek on April 27 at the Coliseum. After passing through California and Oregon over the weekend, it entered Washington on Monday.