One horse made a bizarre audition for the Grand National during the Strade Bianche Donne as it stormed onto the course, almost colliding with eventual winner Demi Vollering.
The crazy scenes occurred on the Colle Pinzuto gravel sector – where Vollering had made her bid for glory, looking to chase down the sole American rider Kristen Faulkner. However, Vollering could be heard shouting as he rattled down the descent to be met with the horse.
Incredibly, the horse had managed to get between the camera bike and Vollering. The horse followed the Dutch star along the sector, before it came crashing down around a corner.
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Vollering was reeled back in by the group of favourites, as she struggled to navigate around the horse.
However, her afternoon was over when she followed an attack by her team-mate Lotte Kopecky and the duo caught Faulker. The pair were then able to drop the American on the fearsomeVia Santa Catarina.
Vollering was able to outsprint her teammate as they raced into the centre of Siena – taking cycling’s sixth unofficial monument.
What do you think of the horse storming the race? Let us know in the comments section
(Image: Eurosport/GCN)
Speaking after the race, World Champion, Annemiek van Vleuten, who finished sixth on the day, said: “I saw a horse, it was crazy, an escaped horse. But it was not bothering us!”
It’s not the first time animals have found their way into races, dogs are often accidentally in the road – while Warren Barguil was forced to take evasive action at the Tour de France when a cow was stood on a descent.
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