Along with the heat, mountains and all the other challenges that Tour de France riders trained for this summer, there have been a few unexpected road bumps.

On the first day of the ride, a bus got stuck at the finish line, triggering a major crash.

Then, on the second day, riders narrowly avoided another would-be disaster. About 2.5 miles from the finish line a dog ran into the middle of the road. Its owner tried to catch it but the pooch got away. With bikers nearing speeds of 50 mph, things could have gotten really ugly.

Fortunately, right as the peloton turned the corner the dog raced off the road.

As Jameson Fleming of CBSSports.com pointed out, this is hardly the first time that an animal has joined the riders. German cyclist Marcus Burghardt collided with a dog in 2007 (see clip below), and in earlier years a horse has trotted along with the peloton.

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A century ago, it was common for riders to encounter obstacles on the course. Lucien Petit-Breton, who won the Tour de France in 1908, left the race in 1912 after hitting a cow. In 1911, Petit-Breton collided with a drunk sailor.

Belgian Jan Bakelants won Sunday's stage by one second and now owns the yellow jersey. It was the 27-year-old's first pro win after being sidelined by injuries and accidents over the past few years. Bakelants, who had knee surgery earlier this year, was elated as he put on the yellow jersey.

"It's difficult to believe what happened today, it's fantastic," Bakelants said. "Today it may be the first and last time I ever wear the yellow jersey."

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