A very heavy shove from the traffic officer was captured on his video, which has emerged online (below).
Costa Rican rider Andrey Amador was forced to issue a video on his social media accounts apologising for an incident with a traffic police officer during which his bike was seized.
The story has received widespread media coverage in his home country after the traffic officer’s helmet camera footage of the incident was published.
Amador, who appeared to be firmly pushed back by the officer in the first of the two clips below, also recorded the way the officer had handled his bike and published his own video online, only adding to the dramatic story.
Amador (30) was 8th overall in the Giro this year, 4th overall in the same race last year and won a stage in the event in 2012.
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The Movistar pro had been training from 6am yesterday morning in San José in Costa Rica when he rode onto a highway where cycling is not allowed.
The stretch of road has a minimum speed limit of 80km and with a very high number of cycling fatalities on the roads in the area the motorbike police officer was determined to enforce the law.
The officer can be heard sounding his horn several times when they meet on the road.
Then words are exchanged between the two, as the motorcycle officer appears to ride very close to the cyclist.
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According to local media reports, Amador was suggesting that they continue to the next exit where it was safer to pull in.
However, when the officer insisted they stop immediately the rider did so but clearly became very agitated. When the two stop and Amador walks over to the officer the Movistar man appears to be flung back firmly.
His bike was confiscated but not before the traffic officer turned it upside down on the road to examine it, a move Amador said was disrespectful and unnecessary, claiming it damaged his bike and €1,000 Garmin computer.
The rider also said that before they came to a stop the motorcycle came so close to him he nearly fell off.
His bike was confiscated, though it was unclear from local reports how he managed to get home.
The traffic officer's footage
Amador's footage of bike upside down
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