Panic at Tour Down Under: a kangaroo takes down cyclists
Moments of great fear during the final stage of the Tour Down Under in Australia: about 95 km from the finish in Stirling a kangaroo invaded the road and caused a maxi crash. Among the riders who ended up on the ground because of the marsupial were also classification leader Jay Vine and Mikkel Bjerg.
The former managed to get up and, after changing bikes, continued racing, while the latter was forced to retire but fortunately did not suffer any serious injuries. Dutchman Menno Huising also had to forfeit after he broke his collarbone in the crash.
To take the overall win was Matthew Brennan: “I am delighted, last week didn’t always go as we hoped and results were hard to come by. But as a team, we worked hard every day and gave 100 percent on every stage. To see them rewarded today is really special”.
The Santos Tour Down Under is a men’s road cycling stage race held annually in Australia, based in Adelaide and with routes spread across the territory of South Australia. The race takes place over the course of a week and kicks off on the third Tuesday in January. On the international calendar it has replaced the Giro di Sardegna as the opening event of the season. Initially included in the UCI Oceania Tour, since 2008 it has officially entered the UCI ProTour circuit, becoming the first round of the year of the world’s top level.
