Colombian cyclist crashes into wife while celebrating race win

Colombian cyclist Luis Carlos Chía crashed into his wife after winning stage three of the Vuelta a Colombia on Sunday, with the rider unable to avoid her during his celebrations crossing the finish line. 

In the pouring rain in Montería, Óscar Quiroz (Colombia Tierra de Atletas–GW Shimano) attacked with a kilometre left. He seemed to have built up a large enough gap to take the win unchallenged, but Luis Carlos Chía (Colnago CM Team) managed to sprint past him in the closing stages of the race, taking the victory in dramatic fashion.

Crossing the line first, Chía raised his arms aloft and banged his chest in celebration.

Standing around 20 metres behind the finish line, Claudia Roncancio wanted to congratulate her husband on his triumph on the third stage. However, the 25-year-old approached her a lot quicker than both expected, and he failed to swerve around her in time as they collided heavily instead. 

Both Chía and Roncancio fell to the ground, with footage capturing the pair sprawled on the wet tarmac. Chía managed to get back to his feet quickly, telling reporters directly after the incident that his brakes were impacted by the rain as he walked away. 

Meanwhile, his wife required medical attention. A local journalist later reported doctors gave her four stitches on the wounds she suffered from the collision, but she was fortunately conscious and didn't have any serious injuries. 

Having won on both the first and third stages of the Vuelta a Colombia, as well as picking up a podium finish on the second stage, Chía currently leads the general classification by ten seconds ahead of Nelson Andrés Soto. 

A UCI 2.2 classified race, for continental teams, the Vuelta a Colombia contains ten stages in total. The race finishes on Sunday 12 June, with a 41.9km stage from Paipa to Tunja in the South American country.