The finish line looked more like the middle of a football field than a cycling race.
Police are investigating a collision that occurred near the end of the Cicloturista Condaca Salmor Bike Race, which takes place in the Canary Islands, between an unnamed cyclist and a spectator who inexplicably crossed into the road.
Video of the incident shows the woman looking down on her phone as she wanders into the road and directly into the cyclist’s path right before the collision — there was seemingly no way for the cyclist to avoid the spectator — and the subsequent violent crash that sent both the cyclist and spectator viciously to the ground. The cyclist can be seen flipping over his handlebars and onto the pavement, while the woman rolls several times on the ground after her head made significant contact with the ground.
It is unclear why the spectator decided to cross into the road or how she didn’t see the cyclist. The street was filled with other spectators cheering and a PA announcer could be heard commentating the race. Another spectator safely crossed the road just a few moments before, however.
The contact occurred right near the finish line of the 88-kilometer (54 miles) race, costing the cyclist a first-place finish.
The cyclist suffered a moderate head injury and memory loss, according to Canary Islands local news outlet Canarias 7. He was taken to the hospital following the incident, according to the region’s emergency services, who released a statement regarding the collision.
“An injured cyclist in El Hierro has been taken to hospital following a collision with another person,” the statement read. The information we received was that the cyclist had run over another person during a sporting event. The cyclist appeared from a first evaluation to be suffering from non-serious head injuries. The woman who had been knocked over was treated at the scene by medical services covering the event. A police investigation into the incident is underway.”
It is unclear if the woman required further medical treatment after she was treated at the scene.