IT HAS HAPPENED before and it’ll no doubt happen again but one thing is for sure, Luka Pibernik will not make the same mistake again.
The Slovenian rider held a significant advantage heading into the final few kilometres of yesterday’s fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia, but mistakenly thought he had crossed the finish line when there was still one lap to go.
That awkward moment when you celebrate too early 🙈
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) May 10, 2017
A shocker for @Bahrain_Merida rider Luka Pibernik #Giro100 pic.twitter.com/AfWQAW1Ria
Pibernik believed he had just claimed the biggest victory of his career and raised his arms in celebration when he crossed the line, only to then realise the stage wasn’t over.
The 23-year-old was quickly reeled in by the chasing pack and he eventually finished the stage in 148th position.
In a post-race interview with RAI, the Bahrain-Merida rider’s team-mate, Vincenzo Nibali, explained that a dead radio led to the mistake.
“The problem is that his radio battery was flat and so he didn’t hear us call him,” Nibali said. “He didn’t know there was a lap to go and so the gaff happened. He’s young, things like that can happen.”
The stage was eventually won by Fernando Gaviria.
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