Strange things happen in cycling. An Albanian goat took center stage alongside stage winner Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) on stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia today. During the 160km stage in and around Vlorë, the goat ran onto the road and jumped at Dion Smith (Intermarché-Wanty) who was chasing him.
The New Zealand rider had to react quickly and swerved onto the grass as riders behind him braked and also passed the goat. The animal also escaped the incident unharmed. "I didn't have much time to think," said Smith, who finished 124th. "I saw it about 10 seconds in advance - the policeman was trying to hold the goats back, but one or two slipped through. Luckily I stayed upright."
Smith, who is from New Zealand's North Island, said with a chuckle that he was more used to seeing sheep on the road. "It was my first encounter with goats. What can I say? I didn't know which way to go - everyone else was turning left, I was going right. But in the end it all worked out. He hit me a little bit. I need to watch the replay, it all happened so fast. I just focused on staying on the bike. I would have expected a stray dog, but it seems like there are a lot more goats here in the south."
The first three stages of the Giro took place in Albania, tomorrow is a rest day and the cycling tour continues in Italy. Pedersen is the overall leader, Primož Roglic (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) is 9 seconds behind and Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) is 14 seconds behind.
Goat recognizes the GOAT 🐐
— Intermarché-Wanty (@IntermarcheW) May 11, 2025
Dion Smith is the chosen man for this Giro d'Italia 🩷 pic.twitter.com/sd3FrIiTUm
