Watch: Dog joins and leads peloton at bike race
A dog with incredible fitness lead the race for far longer than you'd expect
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At an unidentified bike race, a dog joined the peloton and not only kept up with the riders but stayed at the head of affairs for quite some time.
If you’ve been on rides in the countryside you’ve probably had a dog run up to and even chase you for a couple of hundred metres. Usually, a slight increase of pace will cause they dog to reconsider it’s decision and relent. Some dogs are very fast however and can keep up for a while but it’s one thing keeping up with a couple of friends on a weekend ride and a professional bike race.
This dog was not deterred by the pace of the race and proves it’s fitness staying ahead of the riders as the race motorcycles try to scare it off. The camera operator follows the dog as it sprints at the head of the bunch perhaps not giving off much of a draft but leading the race none-the-less.
The grainy image makes it difficult to identify the race and though the announcers are speaking Italian that does not necessarily indicate the race was taking place in Italy. Unable to identify any of the jerseys it’s hard to tell if the images are even recent.
Dogs are often controversial when they get on the road in bike races causing crashes. One memorable instant was on Stage 18 of the 2012 Tour de France when Philippe Gilbert weas involved in a crash when a dog went on the road. After getting up from the tarmac he angrily confronted the spectator who dog it was.
