.png)
A professional cyclist's win quickly went from celebratory to chaotic when he crashed straight into his wife as she took pictures of him crossing the finish line.
See the collision for yourself below:
Luis Carlos Chia gave his all as he approached the finish line in a stage of the Vuelta a Colombia yesterday (5 June), powering down the streets of Monteria and overtaking the competition to secure first place.
Chia's efforts paid off and he could be seen raising his hands into the air in celebration after he crossed the finish line, meanwhile his bike kept moving towards a crowd of photographers which just so happened to include his wife Claudia Roncancio.
Roncancio, a photographer who now travels with Chia to help record his cycling successes, had been snapping pictures to capture Chia's elation after the win as he approached her, but Chia is said to have been unable to maintain control of his bike, perhaps due to weather conditions, and ended up crashing into her.
I'm not sure if it's better or worse that Chia went careering in to someone he actually knew, but either way the situation was not ideal and quickly brought down the mood of his win.
The crash left Roncancio lying on the floor, her eyes open in apparent shock as other members of the crowd gathered around to offer her help. Chia didn't escape unharmed and had to be helped off his bike before limping away from the scene.
Roncancio had to be taken to hospital as a result of the incident and ended up receiving stitches to a head wound caused by her husband.
In the aftermath of the event, Chia told Colombian media he was confused about the events that had transpired.
As reported by talkSPORT, he commented: "I stopped the brakes and ran over my wife. I don’t really know what happened in this moment, I was beyond the finish line.
"I tried to brake, but the bike didn’t respond. Thank God she never lost consciousness, they are checking her, and more than anything, it was a scare. She knew that we arrive in the sprint too fast."
Chia also said that doctors had suggested his wife was in shock after the collision, adding: "She knew there was going to be a sprint finish and I don't understand why she didn't get out of the way."
The cyclist later dedicated the victory to his wife, which is probably the least he could do, given the circumstances.
Words by Emily Brown.
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/Skygirl42Topics: Cycling
The SPORTbible Team