Crashing motorbike narrowly misses lead riders on Eneco Tour stage four

The Eneco Tour has been praised by riders for its initiative to send motorbikes on alternative routes to avoid passing the peloton at pinch points, but that didn't stop a moto nearly wiping out the lead riders as it crashed on a roundabout.

The lead motorcycle took a wide line out of a roundabout in the closing stages of stage four, clipping a bollard and skidding across the road just in front of three riders off the front of the peloton.

Astana pair Andrei Grivko and Dmitriy Gruzdev were with Trek-Segafredo's Jasper Stuyven around 50 metres off the front of the pack when the incident occurred, with all three riders safely navigating the bike.

Motorbike-related incidents have unfortunately been quite common in the past two seasons, with Antoine Démoitié dying of his injuries after being hit by a bike at Ghent-Wevelgem.

Earlier in the season, Stig Broeckx (Lotto-Soudal) was knocked off at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and remains in a serious condition in hospital after being hit a second time at the Belgium Tour.

Then, Elia Viviani (Team Sky) was hit from behind following a crash at Paris-Roubaix among a host of incidents that have brought the spotlight on rider safety at races.