Who knew dogs were cycling fans?
The 2025 road season has seen several incidents of our four-legged friends getting in on the action – but the near-miss on Sunday was an example of the potential major consequences their involvement could cause.
With 91.9km to go on Stage 2 of La Vuelta, a dog nearly caused a serious incident with Lidl-Trek riders Daan Hoole and Mads Pedersen in the immediate vicinity of the near-miss.
Taking a corner wide towards a footpath, a dog, being walked on its lead by the owner on the pavement nearby, suddenly leapt towards the oncoming group of riders, before it was pulled sharply to safety – happening all too late for the peloton to try and swerve.
“Thank goodness that dog was on the lead there,” TNT Sports commentator Matt Stephens said. “I thought that was a rogue dog but on the lead it was.”
The incident occurred as the peloton were battling for the final 10 points on offer in the intermediate sprint – and Pedersen fell away as Ethan Vernon made a late attack in the white jersey of Israel-Premier Tech.
Highlights: Philipsen wins Stage 1 with blistering sprint to claim red leader’s jersey
Video credit: TNT Sports
It is not an isolated incident, with dog-related chaos becoming somewhat familiar among riders throughout the season.
At the women’s Tour of Colombia in June, a dog entered the race and was 13th to cross the finish line, in an incident far more wholesome than problematic.
There was yet more drama, and this time, not animal-related, later in the second stage of La Vuelta as a large portion of the peloton – involving around a dozen riders – crashed with 26km to go.
Team GB and Q36.5 Pro Cycling rider Tom Pidcock was involved in the mass collision, while Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) also seemed to be among those who went down. His team-mate, Axel Zingle, looked to have come off the worst of all the riders, and had his shoulder tended to in the aftermath.
Philipsen takes red jersey with Stage 1 after ‘almost perfect’ sprint
Video credit: TNT Sports
Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) won the race last year but has not made it to the start line in 2025. Jasper Phillipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took the opening stage to claim the red jersey, in a remarkable comeback after fracturing his collarbone and acromioclavicular during Stage 3 of the 2025 Tour de France.La Vuelta is available to watch on TNT Sports and discovery+, alongside the remainder of the 2025 cycling season.