Watch stunned cyclist’s reaction as HORSE joins race in incredible scenes at the Strade Bianche
IN incredible scenes at the Strade Bianche, leading cyclist Demi Vollering saw her chances of winning ALMOST derailed by a horse.
The Dutch rider, 26, was forced to overcome an equine encounter of a close kind, when the said horse showed up some 10 miles before the finish line in the picturesque setting of Sienna.
But, the SD Worx star managed to keep her calm to overcome teammate Lotte Kopecky in a thrilling photo finish in the Piazza del Campo.
Vollering was chasing lone leader Kristen Faulkner, when the pair were joined on a descent by the horse.
As the animal raced in front of them, Vollering was heard screaming.
No doubt startled by the vehicles and helicopters, the horse continued to run between Vollering and the camera motorbike on the road for nearly a mile.
As it turned a corner, though, it fell – although, didn’t appear harmed and managed to avoid any of the other cyclists.
The incident appeared to derail Vollering, who lost almost 20 seconds in the aftermath – as the gap to Faulkner got wider.
On the final section, Vollering and team-mate Lotte Kopecky launched their final assault with seven-and-a-half miles to go.
The pair would be neck and neck, before Vollering just got her neck in front in the final moments.
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“I am very happy of course to win,” Vollering said after the race.
“It was a crazy final. We rode well as a team, and the other girls rode super strong today.
“The final play was really cool. This was the plan for me to attack, and suddenly Lotte was with me, and we were two teammates together.”