Goat recognizes the GOAT Dion Smith is the chosen man for this Giro d'Italia pic.twitter.com/sd3FrIiTUm— Intermarché-Wanty (@IntermarcheW) May 11, 2025
May 12 (UPI) -- A New Zealand cyclist competing in Europe's Giro d'Italia had a near brush with disaster when a stray goat collided with his leg and back wheel -- and the moment was caught on camera.
Dion Smith, a member of the Intermarche-Wanty team, was in the 99.4-mile third stage of the race on Sunday when he spotted a small herd of goats next to the road in Albania.
Smith moved to the right side of the road to avoid the animals, but one of the goats darted into the road and ran straight toward his bicycle.
A video of the incident shows the goat jump into the air and brush Smith's leg and back wheel before landing and continuing to run.
Smith managed to remain upright and continued to ride, despite being knocked slightly off the road.
He finished the stage in 124th place, about 15 minutes after first-place finisher Mads Pedersen.
"I probably more expected maybe a wild dog or something, but I guess there's a lot more goats down here," Smith told reporters at the finish line.
