A pro cyclist competing in Germany has narrowly avoided two collisions with drivers in quick succession.

Riding for Lidl-Trek Future Racing, the development team of WorldTour outfit Lidl-Trek, 21-year-old Louis Leidert was competing in the 13.7km time trial of the Sauerlandrundfahrt in the town of Brilon. Footage filmed from the TV motorbike and shared on social media shows Leidert riding on the inside of the road as a car approaches from the other direction.


Both the driver and Leidert swerve away from one another to prevent a collision, with the driver riding up onto the kerb of the pavement. Less than a minute later, as Leidert turns onto a corner, a second driver ahead of him turns off the race route having entered the course despite the presence of barriers by the roadside.

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Sauerlandrundfahrt near miss (@RNBWCW/Twitter)

In a statement published this morning, the race organisers said, “During the first stage of the SauerlandRundfahrt, an incident occurred in which two vehicles managed to enter the official race route despite the barriers. Fortunately, no accident took place, although one rider was forced to take evasive action.

“We are very relieved that nothing worse happened in this instance. At the same time, we are taking the incident very seriously and are reviewing it thoroughly. It is certainly not in our interest for such a situation to arise—the safety of all riders is our top priority.

“Consequently, for the upcoming stages 2, 3, and 4, we have significantly tightened security measures in collaboration with the police, local authorities, our race marshals, and volunteers.

“We will do everything in our power to ensure that such an incident does not happen again.”

The incident occurred three weeks after Finlay Tarling, 19, was killed by an oncoming driver during a bike race in Portugal. The driver had entered the race course at an unmanned junction and reportedly been told by spectators that the race had already passed before joining the route and travelling in the wrong direction.

Memorial for Finlay Tarling at Volta a Portugal
Memorial for Finlay Tarling at Volta a Portugal (Image Credit: Nuno Veiga/EPA)

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The incident at the Sauerlandrundfahrt is not the only near-miss to have occurred since Tarling’s death. At the Tour of Britain Women a fortnight ago Maeve Plouffe, riding for O’Shea Red Chilli Bikes, wrote, “there were cars coming at me from all directions” after she dropped behind the peloton following a puncture.

“Considering the recent devastating events in our cycling community, it’s scary to see situations like this, when we know that this can have horrific consequences, especially so soon after suffering such a tragedy.” Plouffe added.

In response to Plouffe’s account, British Cycling’s Events Director Jonathan Day reiterated, “Rider safety is paramount and will always be treated as a priority in our planning and how we operate any race.

“We want to reassure all riders, teams and fans of the sport at this time of how serious we are treating these comments.”

The Sauerlandrundfahrt is a 2.2-rated event, the fourth-tier of UCI bike racing, meaning it is contested by both professional and amateur riders. The event is new for 2026 and takes place in and around the popular tourist destination of the Sauerland forest. The four-stage race began with yesterday’s time trial, which was won by Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe’s Ben Zwiehoff.