Animals at cycling races are not a rare sight, after all it's an outdoor sport. Dogs, cats or birds are a common sight, sheep or other farm animals are common in their respective zones as well. But... a brown bear? That's a unique encounter you get to live only in Transylvania!
It was a striking sight during the finale of the third stage of the Romanian stage race. On the slopes of the final climb to Bâlea Lac, a brown bear suddenly appeared to check out the future star of professional cycling riding in leader's yellow jersey.
The bear calmly crossed the road just as Lorenzo Finn and Byron Munton – numbers one and two in the general classification – were riding past the 15 kilometers to go sign. Whilst the young Italian appeared most unphazed by the incident, he certainly won't forget this unusual spectator!
Although Romania has the largest population of brown bears in Europe, the sight of the bear along the course is still quite unique. Incidentally, it is not the first time a bear has made an appearance in the Sibiu Cycling Tour.
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This has been confirmed by local Romanian commentator and cycling enthusiast Mihai Simion who captured a bear along the course last year outside competition. So even for the locals, this has been hardly a common sight!
たった今ルーマニアのシビウ・ツアーの先頭で起きたハプニング
— Den@趣味垢 (@Den95504207) July 6, 2026
危うく🐻落車？😱#SibiuTour #jspocycle pic.twitter.com/ko6eU6E91U
The stage 3 of Sibiu Cycling Tour was won by under-23 world champion Lorenzo Finn (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe), 13 seconds ahead of veteran Wout Poels (Unibet Rose Rockets) and Byron Munton (Modern Adventure Pro Cycling).
The Italian continues in the race lead after he had won the previous day's summit finish as well. His advantage over second placed Munton has extended to 55 seconds ahead of a relatively easy final stage which shouldn't see any major moves in general classification.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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