10:03 am | June 1, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
Cyclist Miguel Angel Lopez has apologized for smacking a fan who knocked him from his bicycle during Saturday’s penultimate stage of the Giro d’Italia.
Lopez had hoped to compete for a stage win but was tripped by a fan, who was running alongside encouraging him but collided with another spectator and fell onto the cyclist. As Lopez got back up, he slapped the fan.
“I’m sorry for what happened; I was full of pure adrenaline. But there needs to be more respect for the cyclists,” Lopez said.
Lopez was still visibly furious when he crossed the line 18th, 1 minute, 49 seconds behind stage winner Pello Bilbao.
He isn’t the first cyclist to fight back at the thought that a spectator crossed the line. In 2011, Alberto Contador gave a small right jab to the face of a fan wearing scrubs who came after the Spaniard with a stethoscope — an apparent mockery of Contador’s ties to doping allegations. During the 2009 Tour of California, Lance Armstrong shoved away a fan who came at him with two giant plastic needles. And in the 2016 Tour de France, Chris Froome punched a spectator in the face after the wig-wearing man got too close for the then-two-time Tour winner.
Another incident with a fan Saturday also cost Primoz Roglic. The Slovenian was pushed by a spectator and didn’t attempt to push him away and was penalized 10 seconds by the race jury. He ultimately finished 14th in the stage.
Ecuadorian cyclist Richard Carapaz took a huge step toward winning the Giro d’Italia as he preserved his overall lead of 1:54 over Nibali.
The Giro D’Italia ends with a final time trial in Verona on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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