The video clearly shows the moment someone rides from the pavement into the road just as the peloton passes at high speed. There were no proper barriers to hold back the spectators at that point of the race route.
It seems that Alafaci and his teammate Marco Coledan were unable to avoid the cyclist and the sudden arrival of an intruder in the peloton that sparked the mass pile-up, with riders going down like skittles.
The race doctor’s official medical bulletin said 30 riders were involved in the crash, with many others blocked behind as the peloton split. Ryder Hesjedal (Cannondale-Garmin) was delayed but got back to the peloton after a hectic chase by his teammates. However Domenico Pozzovivo (Ag2r-La Mondiale) lost 1:09, suffering a major blow to his overall chances.
“If I get hold of the dickhead that had the brilliant idea of diving into the peloton on a fixed bike with 10km to go, causing us to crash…” Alafaci tweeted after the stage, adding a couple of angry emoticons.
On Monday morning Alafaci tweeted about the video and the still shots captured by cicloweb.it, saying: “Here are the images that let you understand what happened! I at least expect an apology from him for the stupid thing he did!”
The spectator kindly gave Cyclingnews the original footage, which you can watch below. To subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel, click here.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
