Crazy scenes at Giro d'Italia as lunging spectator menaces peloton - Video

In professional cycling, fans are increasingly encouraged to respect the riders, but that memo did not reach a pair of spectators at the Giro d'Italia, who looked to kick and push the riders on Thursday.

In extraordinary and alarming scenes, the two men looked like they were about to knock riders off their bikes, though thankfully there were no crashes.

The incident occurred on stage 6 of the 2026 Giro d'Italia, a 141km stage from Paestum to Naples. A group of young men were standing in a roundabout and, as the peloton approached, two of them began lunging at the riders.

Latest Videos From

One put his foot out toward them repeatedly, and even touched and pushed a Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider as he raced past.

Another rider attempted to strike back but did not deter one of the men, who continued to lunge toward the peloton.

The race organisation posted a video of the incident on Twitter, writing, "Respect the riders. Respect the race. Respect the #GirodItalia.

The incident is likely to spark a reaction from the peloton, who have had to call for respect from roadside fans with increasing force in recent years.

There have been multiple incidents of fans getting too close over the years but spectators looking like they are actively about to assault riders is another matter.

Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our coverage of the Giro d'Italia. Enjoy unrivalled reporting from our team of journalists on the ground, including breaking news, analysis, and more, from every stage as it happens, plus access to the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! Find out more.