The World Road Cycling Championships are currently taking place in Wollongong, Australia.
Cyclists’ biggest fears? Angry magpies attack the racers.
A very large bird approached and kept following me, cyclist Remko Evenpoel tells Cycling News.
All cyclists wear a helmet while racing, which is mandatory to prevent head injuries in the event of an accident.
But a helmet can also be useful for avoiding an attack by Australian magpies in the mating season, as the males protect the whites from potential intruders – or cyclists.
One of the participants in the competition is the Belgian cyclist Remko Evenpoel, 22, who has already experienced the feeling of being attacked.
A relatively large bird approached and kept following me. It was scary, but it was clearly so Australia. I hope this is the only time it has happened, but I’m afraid it will happen again, the Belgian tells Cycling News.
Another competitor, Stefan Kung, 28, witnesses that one of his Swiss teammates was attacked by an angry magpie while riding a bike in Wollongong.
– truly? Which birds are attacking? But yes, one of our guys was actually attacked by a magpie, says Küng according to Cyclingnews.
Local vet Paul Bartland also warned the public that magpies might attack spectators during the competition.
Birds tend to target people who are alone and also people who move very quickly. Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll slow cyclists in their race to take a small side break when the magpies are flying close to the FM wave.
The competition started on the 18th of September and runs until the 25th of September. The competition is held in Wollongong in the eastern parts of Australia.