The climbs of professional cycling are known to put a strain on the lungs and legs of athletes, but the main stage of the Sibiu Tour 2026 – a race that takes place around the city of Sibiu, in the Transylvania region of Romania – has added an unexpected event that is unimaginable despite the fact that athletes are used to having to deal with stray dogs and cats or those carelessly left unattended during their passage.
The close encounter ended in the best possible way
Along the final ascent that led to the 157.4 kilometer high-altitude finish line of Bâlea Lac, the Italian Lorenzo Finn suddenly found himself faced with a bear cub that crossed the road just a few meters away from the front wheel of his bicycle. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe cyclist, fresh winner of the Giro d’Italia Next Gen and reigning Under 23 world champion, was leading the uphill race in the company of South African Byron Munton.
The sudden appearance of the plantigrade generated an understandable moment of extra adrenaline for the pacesetters and the public positioned along the Romanian hairpin bends. Fortunately, the reduced pace imposed by the slopes of the mountain and the maintenance of a minimum safety distance avoided any type of physical contact, allowing the animal to regain the vegetation on the roadside without consequences for the safety of the runners. Once the shock of the moment was over, the competitive competition resumed regularly towards the last kilometre.
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The decisive shot and the situation in the general classification
The finale of the third stage, which started from the city of Sibiu, heated up in the last thousand meters with the return of Mark Donovan of the Pinarello Q36.5 and the expert Dutch athlete Wout Poels, representative of the Unibet Rose Rockets, to the leading pair. 700 meters from the finish line, however, Lorenzo Finn broke through by making a solo acceleration.
The Italian crossed the finish line with a time of 3 hours 43 minutes and 16 seconds, 13 seconds ahead of Wout Poels and Byron Munton himself, while Mark Donovan closed his race in fourth place with a delay of 20 seconds. Thanks to this second consecutive partial success after the one at the Paltinis Arena, the Italian has put a serious threat on the final success.
In the general ranking Lorenzo Finn leads with 55 seconds ahead of Byron Munton and 1 minute and 46 seconds over Mark Donovan. Only the last move remains to be played on the Sibiu-Sibiu circuit: a choppy stage full of ups and downs ideal for launching attacks, where the race leader will have to manage his margin by defending himself from human rivals, after having brilliantly overcome the zoological obstacle of the mountain.
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