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Viviani hit by motorbike on Paris-Roubaix

Team Sky rider Elia Viviani of Italy celebrates as he crossing the finish line in the 177 km ( 109 miles) second stage of the 98th Giro d'Italia ( Tour of Italy ) cycling race from Albenga to Genoa, Italy, May 10, 2015. REUTERS/LaPresse/Fabio Ferrari (Reuters)

ROUBAIX, France (Reuters) - Italian rider Elia Viviani was taken to a hospital for checks after his bike was hit by a race motorbike during the Paris-Roubaix classic on Sunday, Team Sky said. A video taken by a spectator and posted on social media showed the motorbike sliding on its side before hitting Viviani's back wheel after the peloton was slowed down by a crash on the cobbled sector of Arenberg. Safety has been a hot topic in cycling since Belgian rider Antoine Demoitie died last month after being hit by a motorbike. “He is in hospital,” Team Sky sports director Servais Knaven said of Viviani. “He looks alright, nothing serious but you never know.” Race director Thierry Gouvenou told Reuters: “We contacted the team, he just has a few bruises. The rider was upset, which is understandable in the context. “The driver was not careless. There was a crash in the bunch and he braked, then the motorbike slid on to its side and hit Viviani.” (Reporting by Julien Pretot; editing by Clare Fallon)