Moments of tension and apprehension today on the finish line - and as you can see from the footage, it's certainly not just a figure of speech... - of the 21st edition of the Cesano Maderno - Ghisallo Memorial Lorenzo Ganassin, the first of four races of the National Bicycle Day at Ghisallo.

Just as the first of the 152 athletes competing in the mixed junior and youth women's race were crossing the finish line from the Asso side, a blue car appeared driving against traffic from the Bellagio side, and was stopped by the highway police motorcycle unit right on the finish line.

Long moments of tension, with young riders struggling to complete their effort and avoid the danger, concern on the podium and behind the barriers until, finally, they managed to move the car and clear the road.

This is not the place to launch a witch hunt, but it's clear that mistakes were made that cannot be tolerated. Safety must be a concrete objective and not just a nice word to pronounce out loud, especially when the youngest riders are competing.