Russian cyclist poses naked to show off scars

 

A cyclist picked up some shocking injuries after going down in a huge crash just shy of the line at a race in Dunkirk, before posing naked to show off the wounds.

Astana Qazaqstan rider Gleb Syritsa was in the middle of the pack sprinting for the line at the end of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque, before falling victim to the crash in sight of the finish.

The melee began after one rider on the left of the sprinting pack seemed to topple, careening into those in the immediate vicinity.

Bikes and riders alike then went down from left to right, causing those directly behind to quickly pull up despite the pace they were travelling at in the sprint.

After going down, Syritsa was then helped over the line by his team-mates, with blood running from cuts on his knees, arms and shoulder.

He appeared in good spirits at th

e end of the race despite the litany of cuts, sores and road burn across his body, posing smiling for a photo in the team bus.

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Although the most damaging, the crash just short of the line on day one of the four-day competition was not the first, with Dutch rider Olav Kooij taking an early lead after winning the stage.

Given that he fell within the final 3km of the race, he remains in roughly the same time category as the rest of the peleton, so the collision will not have a drastic impact on his standings after the first day.

The 196.6km race began in Dunkirk, and after the start the peleton quickly accelerated through the hilly stage, before an initial split yielded a five-man breakaway group.