‘Risk Your Life To Race’: Wrong-Way Police Motorbike Hits Pidcock’s Teammates

Tom Pidcock nearly quit Tuesday’s Tre Valli Varesine in a fury after a police motorbike traveling against the race struck two of his teammates.

Marcel Camprubí and Thomas Gloag went down in the collision before live television coverage began.

Camprubí continued, but Gloag abandoned and needed stitches in his knee, according to Pidcock and Pinarello-Q36.5 officials.

“A police motorbike was going the wrong way down the course and crashed into two of our guys,” Pidcock told CyclingProNet after the finish.

“I wanted to stop the race afterwards, or at least withdraw myself, because I was absolutely furious.”

Pidcock eventually finished second behind Jarno Widar.

Camprubí later posted a photograph of his wrecked bike, its front fork snapped through.

“It is sad that you have to risk your life to race, one month after a tragic accident,” he wrote on Instagram.

Another day in Italy, another safety scare in pro racing.

Latest in a dangerous summer

The incident followed a bruising Monday at Coppa Bernocchi.

Andrea Raccagni fractured a neck vertebra and Alex Aranburu broke his collarbone and part of his pelvis in the pileup about 600 meters from the finish.

Marijn van den Berg was relegated off the podium following a race jury decision.

Earlier in the race, a DHL delivery van pulled onto the course with about 19km remaining, slotting between the breakaway and the chase. Race organizers later apologized for the safety slip-up.

Cycling’s safety debate has been simmering in the background for years.

The latest tragedy came when Finlay Tarling, 19, died at the Volta a Portugal after a collision involving a non-race vehicle in August, according to reporting citing local authorities.

Keeping vehicles off race courses should be among the basics, Pidcock said.

“This simply must not happen,” Pidcock said.