Brushes between the peloton and the animal kingdom are nothing new in professional cycling, which saw its latest episode at the Tour de Hongrie on Thursday as a deer skidded across the road right in front of the oncoming peloton.
The incident occurred in the early phases of stage 2, when a small deer ran into the road looking to cross to the other side.
It stumbled as it landed in the middle of the road and then skidded on its side into the path of the leading riders.
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Remarkably, it skidded all the way to the side of the road before bouncing up onto its feet on the grassy verge and bounding away.
It could have been a different story were it not for the awareness and fast thinking of the riders on the front of the peloton.
The Soudal Quick-Step rider on the very front of the bunch – which looked to be Martin Svrcek – must have come a hair's breadth from hitting the deer, but he managed to grab two huge fistfuls of brake and avoid contact.
You can watch the incident in the video embedded below.
There have been many run-ins with animals in pro cycling races over the years. Earlier this season, there was a crash involving a kangaroo at the Tour Down Under, while at last year's Giro an Albanian goat jumped at a rider's wheel. Brushes with dogs are a relatively common occurrence.
