It was a good job Niccolò Bonifazio (TotalEnergies) was so alert at the end of La Route d'Occitanie otherwise things may have turned very nasty. A child ran out on the riders just after they had crossed the finish line and while they were still traveling at speed after their final sprint.
Italian rider Bonifazio initially put in a master class of sprinting when he saw a small gap open between the barriers and Elia Viviani (Ineos Grenadiers) and managed to squeeze through it to take a brilliant win.
However, just as he realised he had won, a boy came darting across the road from right to left in the finish area. While Bonifazio got no warning at all, he used his skill to hit the brakes and somehow keep the bike upright without hitting the child.
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The Italian rider got the fright of his life and waved his arm in protest at what was a crazy safety breach just metres from the finish line after a sprint. Just an instant earlier he had waved his hand to urge the crowds on the road to move back, with the boy then darting across his path.
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The race was won overall by Michael Woods (Israel Premier Tech). Ben Healy (EF Education First-EasyPost) and Jesse Ewart (Bike Aid) were the only Irish riders in the event, with Ewart finishing 24th overall and Healy placing 89th.
