Wild deer wreak havoc at Vuelta a España, leaving riders injured, team car roof rack and bikes damaged

GUILIN, CHINA - OCTOBER 20: Gianni Moscon of Italy and Team Sky Red Leader Jersey / Peloton / Landscape / Deer sculpture / during the 2nd Tour Of Guangxi 2018, Stage 5 a a 212,2km stage from Liuzhou to Guilin / Gree - Tour of Guangxi / TOG / on October 20, 2018 in Guilin, China. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Not the Vuelta, and not real deer, but a similar scene as herds jumped over the road on stage 8 (Image credit: Getty Images)

How often can a medical-write up like this one have appeared in the official bulletin of the Vuelta a España - or indeed any other bike race? "Km 140: Fall, being hit by a roe deer, riders 42 and 211, with several contusions, continuing in race."

The explanation of what had reportedly caused Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and Txomin Juaristi (Euskatel-Euskadi) to crash on stage 8 certainly made for an eye-catching addition to the usual medical checklist of riders injured on the day.

Alasdair Fotheringham

Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews, he has also written for The IndependentThe GuardianProCycling, The Express and Reuters.