'Suddenly, there was someone in front of me with a ribbon and who knows what else he had' says breakaway rider Van der Hoorn
Protesters stepped out in front of breakaway riders Enzo Paleni and Taco van der Hoorn in the final kilometres of stage 6 of the Giro d'italia(Image credit: Getty Images)
One of the two protestors who disrupted the finish of Thursday's stage 6 of the Giro d'Italia in Naples is under investigation following the incident, according to local reports.
The protest appears to be linked to Israel-Premier Tech's presence at the Giro and the ongoing Gaza war. The protestors reportedly held up banners with a slogan reading 'Israel out of the Giro d'Italia', according to Il Gazzettino Vesuviano.
The final kilometres of the stage were affected when two protesters ran out into the road in front of the breakaway at 3km from the finish.
The pair held a flexible tube and tape across the road in front of breakaway pairing Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty) and Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ), forcing the riders to hit the brakes and grind to a halt. The peloton was just behind them and was also affected by the protesters.
One of the protestors, wearing a yellow coat, could then be seen running out into the road again as the peloton and race convoy passed at high speed.
A report from local newspaper Il Gazzettino Vesuviano confirmed that the protester, a 67-year-old with a police record, was apprehended by police and charged with assault and resisting a public official.
The incident, which can be seen below, was not aired live on television, though it could be seen by viewers with access broadcasters multi-cam feature. Other spectators captured the moment and it was posted on social media by local media.
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Van der Hoorn and Paleni were caught by the peloton a few hundred metres after the incident, while the stage was won by Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) following a messy sprint run-in.
"With 3km to go, those protesters came onto the road," Van der Hoorn told Eurosport after the finish. "Suddenly, there was someone in front of me with a ribbon and who knows what else he had.
"I came to a complete standstill. I drove straight through them, but I came to a complete standstill because they completely blocked the road. Then you have to get going again, while you are completely wasted, so to speak. That is difficult.
"It did have an impact. I don't know if we would have made it otherwise, I don't think so. But it is a shame that it has to end like this."
Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor before being hired full-time. Her favourite races include the Paris-Roubaix, Tour de France Femmes, Tro-Bro Léon, and cycling's fourth Grand Tour, the Volta a Portugal.
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