Kangaroos Disrupt Bike Race, Injuring Cyclists and Causing Mayhem

A herd of kangaroos interrupted Australia’s Tour Down Under race over the weekend, infiltrating the course and felling unlucky cyclists, according to News.com.au.

Kangaroos Strike Unsuspecting Cyclists

On the afternoon of Jan. 25, as tour participants were about halfway through the course, two kangaroos hopped onto the course and struck several riders, including eventual winner Jay Vine. Several witnesses claim that the marsupials "threw themselves in front of the peloton," knocking the competitors from their bikes. The incident occurred about 45 miles into the 105-mile course.

In the aftermath, one of the kangaroos was reported to be injured, although no human injuries were reported. Sadly, the kangaroo later had to be euthanized. At least five riders—including Menno Huising, Lucas Stevenson, Mikkel Bjerg, Juan Molano and Alberto Dainese—then quit the race, as their bicycles were unable to continue on.

Video of the bizarre incident shows the kangaroos materializing seemingly from nowhere before hopping onto the course, causing immediate mayhem. "Oh, it's a kangaroo! Never seen that before!" commentator Phil Liggett can be heard saying.

Live Commentators Were Astonished at the 'Tragic' Scene

"Unfortunately, one of the hazards of racing in Australia in these regions, some of the wildlife you can't tell them, 'Don't go about your day, there’s a bike race on,' " said Liggett’s fellow commentator, Matthew Keenan. Keenan then walked viewers through a replay of the unexpected encounter. "You haven't seen the kangaroo initially coming in, he's in the middle of the road. Oh dear, that's tragic."

"Everyone asks me what's the most dangerous thing in Australia, and I always tell them it's kangaroos," said winner Vine, after taking the gold for the second time in three years. "They wait and they hide in the bushes until you can't stop and they jump out in front of you. Point proven today." Vine reported that he had to change his bike twice after they accident, but ultimately continued on to beat his competitors.

"Two of them blasted through the peloton when we were doing probably 50 kph [30 mph], and one of them stopped and went left, right, left, right, left, right, and I ended up hitting its backside," continued Vine of the course crashers. “It’s one of those things, bad luck. Luckily, I'm okay and glad I’m able to hold onto the [winning] jersey."