A Polizia Stradale escort motorcycle entered the Tre Valli Varesine circuit going the wrong way with six laps remaining, colliding with Pinarello-Q36.5 riders on 6 October 2026.
Thomas Gloag abandoned the race and received stitches for knee lacerations at the hospital, while Marcel Camprubí finished despite wheel damage.
Lotto-Intermarché rider Jarno Widar won the 196.1-kilometre race in Varese, beating Tom Pidcock into second and Matteo Jorgenson into third.
The incident follows the death of 19-year-old Finlay Tarling at the Volta a Portugal on 14 August 2026, amid six rider fatalities across road races in three years.
During the 105th edition of the Tre Valli Varesine, a ProSeries race held on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, a police escort motorcycle caused a collision at the front of the peloton. With six laps remaining on the finishing circuit in Lombardy, Italy, a Polizia Stradale motorbike entered the course travelling in the opposite direction of the race convoy. The incident occurred during the circuit phase before the live television broadcast began, which meant the crash was not captured on official broadcast cameras. At the time of the impact, the Pinarello-Q36.5 team was riding in single file at the front of the peloton to set the tempo for team leader Tom Pidcock.
The oncoming motorcycle directly struck the front of the team formation, leaving the lead cyclists with no physical time to avoid the collision.
The crash involved 25-year-old Spanish national champion Marcel Camprubí and 25-year-old British rider Thomas Gloag. Gloag abandoned the race immediately and went to the hospital to receive stitches for deep cuts to his knee. Camprubí resumed riding and completed the event despite substantial damage to his front wheel.
Team captain Tom Pidcock expressed frustration after the finish line regarding vehicle safety protocols.
“A police motorbike was going the wrong way down the course and crashed into two of our guys. First of all I wanted to stop racing myself - I was mad. I had guys riding in front of me - for me - and two of them were on the floor.”
Camprubí published a photo of his broken wheel on social media following the stage, criticising the recurring safety risks faced by riders on closed circuits.
The incident renewed focus on peloton safety and route security at professional cycling events. On 14 August 2026, 19-year-old British cyclist Finlay Tarling died after an unauthorized vehicle entered the course and struck him during stage eight of the Volta a Portugal. Pidcock had dedicated his mountain bike world championship victory later that month to Tarling. According to figures raised following the crash, six cyclists have died during road races across the past three years, prompting the riders' union, the Cyclistes Professionnels Associés, to demand stricter road closures and escort management.
Vehicle incursions have continued during recent events in Europe. On 5 October 2026, the day before Tre Valli Varesine, a delivery van drove onto the race course during the Coppa Bernocchi in Italy without causing a crash, while rider Maeve Plouffe narrowly avoided a motorist during the women's Tour of Britain earlier in the summer.
Following the collision, the 196.1-kilometre race continued through the Lombardy countryside to its finish in Varese. Belgian rider Jarno Widar of Lotto-Intermarché secured victory in a sprint finish, holding off Pidcock, who finished second, and Matteo Jorgenson of Visma-Lease a Bike, who crossed in third. Afonso Eulálio of Bahrain Victorious, the only Portuguese competitor in the field, finished 17th, three seconds behind Widar.
The Italian autumn classics continue on Saturday, 10 October 2026, with the running of the Tour of Lombardy.
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A police escort motorcycle driving against race traffic collided with Pinarello-Q36.5 riders Marcel Camprubí and Thomas Gloag during the Tre Valli Varesine, forcing Gloag out with knee injuries.
AI text based on reports by Fanpage, 7sur7, The Guardian and other publishers. Published .