Two 19-year-old men are facing charges after attempting to push riders of the Giro d'Italia off their bikes on Thursday.
Corriere della Sera reported that the pair were identified and charged by police for endangering public safety during sporting events.
In professional cycling, fans are increasingly encouraged to respect the riders, but that memo did not reach the pair of spectators at the Giro d'Italia.
In extraordinary and alarming scenes, the two men looked like they were about to knock riders off their bikes at a roundabout near San Vitaliano. Thankfully there were no crashes.
The incident occurred on stage 6 of the 2026 Giro d'Italia, a 141km stage from Paestum to Naples. A group of young men were standing in a roundabout and, as the peloton approached, two of them began lunging at the riders.
One put his foot out toward them repeatedly, and even touched and pushed a Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider as he raced past.
Another rider attempted to strike back but did not deter one of the men, who continued to lunge toward the peloton.
The race organisation posted a video of the incident on X.com, writing, "Respect the riders. Respect the race. Respect the #GirodItalia".
The incident is likely to spark a reaction from the peloton, who have had to call for respect from roadside fans with increasing force in recent years.
There have been multiple incidents of fans getting too close over the years but spectators looking like they are actively about to assault riders is another matter.
Respect the riders. Respect the race. Respect the #GirodItalia🫶 Fans, Tifosi. We love you on the roadside. We love your enthusiasm, we love that you cheer on the riders, we love that you dress like flamingos.❌ But there's a line not to cross. Don't be like this guy. pic.twitter.com/iO7wJNkUOaMay 14, 2026
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