Stage race brought to halt after rider hit by car that entered course

A Brazilian stage race was stopped by a protesting peloton after a car entered the course and hit a rider.

The incident happened on the final day of racing at the Volta de Guarulhos on Sunday (October 27), when the driver allegedly ignored the cones and entered the course.

Video footage of the moment has appeared online, showing Rosa Pereira from the Indaiatuba team having his front wheel taken out by the vehicle.

Pereira was leading the peloton around 50km into the 70km stage three of the race when he took a sharp left-hand turn at a junction.

The driver was travelling straight on the road and hit Pereira’s front wheel, sending him into the ground  and forcing riders behind to stop as another vehicle passes in the outside lane.

According to Brazilian cycling website Mundo Bici, the peloton then refused to continue the race with organisers agreeing to stop the contest.

The winner of the stage was declared the first rider to cross the intermediate sprint mark, Rodrigo Araújo (Melo Team Cycling), who was also leading the race overall and was handed the general classification victory.

Volta de Guarulhos is a three-stage race in south-eastern Brazil, taking place in the city of Guarulhos near São Paulo.

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The race opened with a 1.2km prologue on Friday (October 25) and continued with a 120km road stage on Saturday.

Sunday’s final stage was due to be a 70km test but was hampered by the crash and following protests from riders.

Race organiser José Claudio dos Santon, said: “The race was here once again. It was important for cyclists. The year was complicated but fortunately we managed to hold its fourth edition.”