As the sprint finish of the first stage of the Volta a Portugal approached the final curve with 250 meters to the finish, one rider on the course had to jump over a barrier to avoid an oncoming rider.

The video shows the man, wearing a lanyard and presumably with race credentials, riding along the barrier. After being passed by the last escort bike, he looks over his shoulder and sees the leader of the pack a few meters behind him.

With quick reflexes and agility, the man jumps to safety in a spectator-free zone with 200 meters to go.

Fortunately, the move did not prevent Wildlife Generation's Scott McGill from taking a fantastic stage win.

The incident was reminiscent not of Tim Merlier's ninth-place finish in Schoten, but of this year's Scheldepri finish, which drew attention for a similar leap as he reeled down the finish straight and faced a sprint for 14th place.

Merlier had to put his bike over the barriers before going off course, but he made it in time to pass the sprint, which was won by Arnaud de Lier of Lotto Soudal. Merlier was fined 200 Swiss francs.

The 10-day Volta a Portugal started Thursday amid doping cases, police investigations, and controversy as the W52-Porto team was suspended by the UCI after a team member was implicated in a doping investigation by Operation Prova Limpa

The team was suspended from the UCI for the first time since the race began in 2008.