La Vuelta riders Huub Artz and Antonio Tiberi nearly wiped out by dog attached to chair in 'scary, scary moment'
Published 05/09/2025 at 17:07 GMT+1
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La Vuelta's 13th stage featured a surreal near-miss as a dog, attached to a chair, ran onto the road and near the path of Huub Artz (Intermarche–Wanty), Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) and the trailing motorcycles. While the dog thankfully evaded the incoming traffic, TNT Sports commentator Carlton Kirby described the incident as a "scary, scary moment".
Watch 'scary moment' dog with chair almost wipes out multiple Vuelta riders
Video credit: TNT Sports
La Vuelta's 13th stage featured one of the most surreal dog-related Grand Tour incidents in recent memory, but one which thankfully did not lead to disaster.
On Friday, riders tackled the second-longest stage of this year’s Vuelta, which featured two Cat.1 climbs before a summit finish on the notoriously gruelling Angliru.
The Angliru rises for 12.5 kilometres at an average of 10.2%. Indeed, its final section averages at a brutal 15%, and features ramps like the Cuena les Cabres (pass of the goats), which see gradients ramp up to above 20%.
The course alone would be a tricky and brutal test for any cyclist. It is even harder to navigate when a rider is also having to contend with a stray dog unexpectedly appearing in their path.
Many will recall when a wayward dog caused Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) to crash and sustain a nasty injury in 2022, or when Marcus Burghardt (T-Mobile) flew over his handlebars when colliding with a dog in 2007.
And on Friday, a similar, less devastating, but perhaps more absurd incident took place, as a dog ran across the road, attached to a chair by a leash. The animal was presumably tied to the chair to avoid it running on the road.
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Stage 13 at La Vuelta
Image credit: From Official Website
The dog ran towards Huub Artz (Intermarche–Wanty) and Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), but thankfully, did not collide with either cyclist or the trailing motorcycles.
Describing the incident, TNT Sports commentator Carlton Kirby said: "My goodness.
"Somebody stood up. The dog was tethered to the chair. [The person] stood up and the dog legged it, getting excited and I think, got away with it.
"A scary, scary moment, and thankfully it didn’t take a rider down."
He added: "I think we got away with it. I think the motorcycle got by him as well. Oh dear."
Brian Smith continued: "It was the motorcyclist I was worried about most.
"He [the dog] sort of ran towards the riders, the riders got passed but there was a motorbike to the left. A scary moment."
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Meanwhile, speaking on the Breakaway, TNT Sports pundit Adam Blythe said: "That was very lucky. Because that dog might have moved out of the way, but the chair might not have moved quick enough and then, ‘Bang’".
"That’s a first, isn’t it?", Matt Stephens added. "A piece of TV history, really.
"What we have is a local dog dragging a chair. I'm just glad that there wasn't some elderly lady sat in it."
Ultimately, Stage 13 saw Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates-XRG) claim victory from race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) on the Angliru.
Almeida relentlessly rode Vingegaard off his back wheel on the final few hundred metres of the brutal ascent.
Behind them were Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Sepp Kuss (Visma), while elsewhere, Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) was the most high-profile victim of the Angliru's steep slopes, losing over 70 seconds on the red jersey.
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'I still don’t believe it – Almeida delight after triumphing on ‘hardest climb in the world’
Video credit: TNT Sports
On the victory, Almeida said: "Yeah, this is a special one. I still don’t believe it.
"Thanks to my team-mates, who were key today. They did an amazing stage. I just did my pace from the bottom and did the best I could. Jonas was always on my wheel.
"In the last kilometre, I was on my limit – I guess we were both on our limit – and I was waiting for his attack.
"I thought he was going to pass me at the finish line. But I remember the finish line from a few years ago and I took the last corner ahead, and it’s hard to pass, so… it was an amazing day. I think it’s the hardest climb in the world.
"It’s crazy. I’m glad it’s over. I still have a lot of time to make up to Jonas – he’s looking phenomenal and so I think it’s going to be a hard task. But we’re never going to give up."
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