NEED TO KNOW
- Cyclists at the Tour Down Under in Australia on Jan. 25 were in for a surprise when kangaroos suddenly hopped onto the race course, knocking down competitors
- Winner Jay Vine and several other riders were knocked off their bikes when two large kangaroos bounced onto the road
- “Unfortunately, [it’s] one of the hazards of racing in Australia in these regions,” one race commentator remarked
Cyclists at the Tour Down Under in Australia were in for a surprise when kangaroos suddenly hopped onto the race course, knocking down several competitors.
According to News.com.au and The Associated Press, several cyclists competing in the race’s final stage on Sunday, Jan. 25, were struck by two large kangaroos that jumped onto the road in Adelaide — including the winner, Jay Vine.
The outlets reported that Vine and several other riders were knocked off their bikes by the kangaroos about 45 miles into the 105-mile stage.
Some riders described the scene as surreal, recounting how the marsupials “threw themselves in front of the peloton,” per News.com.au.
Several other riders — including Menno Huising, Lucas Stevenson, Mikkel Bjerg, Juan Molano and Alberto Dainese — were forced to quit the race, and one of the kangaroos was injured, AP reported.
7News reported that none of the injuries were serious, but the kangaroo had to be euthanized because of its injuries.
Video footage of the race showed the animals hopping into the road, seemingly out of nowhere, and bumping into several cyclists. A live broadcast of the event heard commentator Phil Liggett exclaim: “Oh, it’s a kangaroo! Never seen that before!”
“Unfortunately, one of the hazards of racing in Australia in these regions, some of the wildlife you can’t tell them, ‘Don’t go about your day, there’s a bike race on,’ ” fellow commentator Matthew Keenan added.
During a replay of the incident, Keenan said, “You haven’t seen the kangaroo initially coming in, he’s in the middle of the road. Oh dear, that’s tragic.”
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Brenton Edwards / AFP via Getty
“Everyone asks me what’s the most dangerous thing in Australia, and I always tell them it’s kangaroos,” said Vine, an Australian who won the race for the second time in three years. “They wait and they hide in the bushes until you can’t stop and they jump out in front of you. Point proven today.”
“Two of them blasted through the peloton when we were doing probably 50 kph [30 mph], and one of them stopped and went left, right, left, right, left, right, and I ended up hitting its backside,” he continued.
Vine said he got up after the crash and changed bikes two times before rejoining the peloton, with around 57 miles remaining in the race, which marks the first event of the 2026 World Tour.
“It’s one of those things, bad luck,” the winner added. “Luckily, I’m okay and glad I’m able to hold onto the [winning] jersey.”
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