Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne cycling 2021 - 'Keep him on a lead!' – Dog almost causes carnage

Updated 28/02/2021 at 18:24 GMT

Opening Weekend continued with Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday. The race saw the return of Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) after his Covid-enforced absence to headline a stacked field including Greg Van Avermaet (AG2R Citroen Team) and Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates). However, the day’s leading storyline would have surrounded a dog had it not been for a moment of hesitation.

'What are you playing at?' - Dog almost causes carnage at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne

A dog nearly caused complete and utter carnage at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday.

As the peloton snaked its way through another tight, meandering section of the Opening Weekend Classic, a dog jolted forward and into the path of the oncoming riders before thinking better of it. Its – presumptive – owner then chased after it and picked the offending animal up.

However, the severity of the moment was not lost on commentators Rob Hatch and Adam Blythe:

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"Oh, dear, dear, dear!" exclaimed Hatch, before adding:

Keep him on a lead. What are you playing at?

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Blythe, winner of RideLondon–Surrey Classic in 2014, sighed:

Oh, god! Crikey, that could have been a lot worse!

The incident came after a large portion of the peloton had nearly gone haring into a pedestrian with 73km to go. The moment prompted Blythe to joke that there "are 55 riders getting disqualified for riding on the pavement".