The crashed riders pile on top of each other full-speed, as a bike with its fork snapped off goes sailing through the air.
When stage 4 of the Tour Down Under to Mount Barker finished in a bunch sprint won by Steele Van Hoff yesterday, it was the action a little further back in the front group that became a talking point.
As the riders entered the final 200 metres, those just back from the front of the group sprinted for the minor places and also to ensure no gaps opened that might result in any loss of time.
Jeremy Roy (FDJ.fr) had a GoPro camera fitted to his bike, which captured the chaos as a couple of riders came down just ahead of him before those behind piled right into them at high speed.
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Perhaps more dramatic than how fast riders fell and the sight of a Canyon bike sailing through the air minus it's fork and front wheel, was how Roy and the IAM Cycling rider just ahead of him avoided falling.
The bike handling skills of these guys and the split-second reflexes that took them out of harm’s way have to be seen to be believed.
Check out the on board footage in the clip below our photos.
And also check out the second clip just under it which reveals the carnage this crash caused by blocking the entire road.
The riders just back from the front of the bunch hurtle to the finish line; the 200 metres to go sign clearly visible on the top right of shot.
The first riders fall and Astana's Lars Boom, in sky blue, and Katusha's Vladimir Isaichev, in red and white, brace themselves for impact.
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Boom and Isaichev go right over the top of those who fell just ahead of them. On the far right, the IAM Cycling rider tries to squeeze past the fallers, pinned right up against the road-side hoarding.
Isaichev's Canyon bike with it's fork snapped in half and the front wheel missing in action hurtles across the road towards the IAM Cycling rider.
Riders are now all over the road, with numerous sets of legs visible in the air. The Canyon bike bounces off the road and the hoarding and right into the path of the IAM Cycling rider.
Luckily for the IAM Cycling athlete, the Canyon bounds off the hoarding, leaving just about enough space for him to speed through. And Roy, from whose bike these shots were recorded, follows the IAM Cycling man.
IAM Cycling is now free, with Roy following the space he has created.
Both riders somehow manage to get past without falling, despite bikes and bodies blocking their path just a few fractions of a second earlier. It really pays to keep your cool.
Have a look at the on board video
How the TV cameras saw it
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