Video published to YouTube shows new angle of Peter Sagan’s stage 8 crash at the 2015 Vuelta a España
Sagan's injuries sustained during the crash forced the Slovakian rider to abandon the Vuelta, after the Tinkoff-Saxo rider held a commanding lead for much of the stage.
The events of the 2015 Vuelta a España raised the ire of many in the cycling world, especially around the issue of the impact of race vehicles on riders. In a new video, though, published to YouTube on Friday, it’s clear that nowhere was that more evident than in the peloton itself.
At the end of stage 8 of the Vuelta, Peter Sagan of Tinkoff-Saxo was hit by a neutral service motorbike, when the moto overtook the peloton and buzzed the Slovakian rider. The apparent collision happened within the last ten kilometres of the stage, dropping the 25-year-old cyclist well behind his earlier, and much more commanding, position in the race by about five minutes. Videos previously published of the incident didn’t show the collision itself, but they certainly showed the aftermath.
In those videos, Sagan, fuming, punches the medical car, then gestures angrily at the motorbike and its occupants. He later appears to kick his own bike. It’s unclear exactly what was said, but given that Sagan was fined both for his behaviour and threats he allegedly uttered, it couldn’t have been good.
Friday’s published video, however, shows another angle of the incident that, ultimately, forced the Tinkoff-Saxo rider to abandon the race due to his injuries. About ten seconds into the footage, the moto can be seen speeding past the peloton, honking its horn. Seconds later, the moment of the crash is apparent from the reaction of Lotto Soudal’s squad. Riders exclaim with alarm, reaching suddenly for their brakes. Others near the front appear to gesture angrily at the motorbike, too, having seen what happened.
At the side of the frame, as the peloton rides past, Sagan can be seen on the ground after being thrown from his bike. Furiously shouted expletives can also be heard, but whether they came from Sagan himself or others in the peloton is unclear.
Sagan’s crash wasn’t the only serious collision at the Vuelta involving Tinkoff-Saxo riders and support vehicles. Four days later, the same fate took Sergio Paulinho out of contention, too, when a television moto knocked the Portuguese athlete off his bike and out of the race during stage 11. His injuries, reports say, required seventeen stitches to his left leg.
