A STAGE of a major cycling race has begun inside a Spanish SUPERMARKET, leaving sports fans utterly baffled.
Stage six of the Vuelta a Espana got underway in Cadiz on Thursday afternoon.
But in a bizarre twist from starting on the road, organisers opted to mix things up by having riders get the 185.5 kilometre route underway in a Carrefour supermarket.
A path for the peloton to follow had been mapped out inside the shop, with Vuelta and Carrefour branding placed everywhere.
Journalist shared an image of some riders going up the escalator to the supermarket while riding their bikes.
And fans could not believe one of the most-watched stage races of the cycling season had decided to begin a day's racing inside a supermarket.
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The riders rolled out of the shop, although no actual racing took place in the aisles.
This is because they were in the "neutralised" part of the stage before the official flag was dropped and attacks began out of the bunch.
Reacting on social media, one person said: "La Vuelta starting a stage inside a Carrefour supermarket is amazingly humorous.
"Petition for the 2025 Tour of Britain to start a stage at a Tesco Express! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣"
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Another replied: "Not sure that's a Strava segment 🤔."
A third added: "Starting todays Vuelta stage in a supermarket is cycling at its Apex. Nothing can possibly top this."
While reporter Daniel Friebe hilariously said: "FWIW, the startline appears to be next to the cheese and the yoghurts."
Carrefour are a well-known company among Tour de France viewers as they are the sponsor of the polkadot jersey.
The Vuelta is the third and final Grand Tour of the year after the Giro d'Italia and Tour.
It began in Lisbon on August 17 and runs until September 8.
Three-time winner Primoz Roglic leads the overall classification after winning the summit finish on stage four.