Somewhere in Argentina this past weekend, a perfectly normal track race turned into a bidon-fuelled brawl and, in the finest tradition of sport imitating slapstick, nobody thought to stop the racing while it happened.
Footage circulating on social media shows a field of 15 to 20 riders mid-race at the Salto velodrome when a trackside coach, apparently unhappy with Jonathan Córdoba’s (Vanguardia Competición) racing line, decided the appropriate response was to launch a water bottle at him. It connected. Córdoba, understandably unimpressed at being drink-bombed mid-effort, pulled off the track and went straight after the coach responsible.
What followed was less a scuffle and more an impromptu team-building exercise in bad decision-making. Several other riders abandoned the race to pile in, while assorted team helpers sprinted from the sidelines to join what became an eight-to-ten-person infield brawl, with fists flying in most directions at once. Meanwhile—and this is the detail that elevates the whole affair—the rest of the field simply kept racing around the chaos, as if a full-contact melee on the infield were just part of the day’s programme.
According to local outlet ABC Saladillo, the coach believed his son had been unfairly boxed in by the targeted rider during the race. A theory. Not, evidently, a great one.
Team Vanguardia Competición issued a public statement after the melee, expressing regret over the events, condemning the violence, and promoting respect, camaraderie, and fair play both on and off the track.
No formal complaints have surfaced publicly, and organisers have not announced any sanctions. But if there’s a lesson here for amateur track cycling, it’s this: settle your grievances with the commissaire, not a bidon.
Photo Credit: Instagram
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