Image 1 of 12 Eugenio Alafaci (Trek Factory Racing) (Image credit: Trek Bicycle Corporation) Image 2 of 12 Heinrich Haussler crashed with most of his IAM Cycling team (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 3 of 12 Heinrich Haussler (IAM Cycling) crashed on stage 2 (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 4 of 12 Heinrich Haussler (IAM Cycling) catches his breath after crashing (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 5 of 12 Heinrich Haussler (IAM Cycling) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 6 of 12 Chernetskii and Barbin on the ground on stage 2 (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 7 of 12 Silvan Dillier (BMC) was involved in the crash (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 8 of 12 Dayer Quintana (Movistar) got scraped up in a crash (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 9 of 12 Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R La Mondiale) was caught up in a crash and lost time on stage 2 (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 10 of 12 The first crash on stage 2 of the Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 11 of 12 Tom Danielson was in the wars on stage 2 of the Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 12 of 12 Tom Danielson needed a new bike (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Trek Factory Racing rider Eugenio Alafaci has blamed a member of the public who cycled into the peloton for the crash in the final kilometres of stage two of the Giro d'Italia.

The Italian rider took to Twitter and Facebook to vent his anger and claimed his Trek Factory Racing teammate Marco Coledan and the spectator on a fixed gear bike also down in the crash.

"If I get hold of the dickhead that had the brilliant idea of diving into the peloton on a fixed bike with 10km to go, causing us to crash…" he tweeted, adding a couple of angry emoticons.

He repeated the comment on his Facebook page, adding: "He also caused (Marco) Coledan to crash too. I think he’d get a lot of punches from Cole… You’re just an idiot!!! Unfortunately there are also imbeciles… Fortunately at Trek we’re not hurt even if Marco has lost a lost of skin… It’s better if we turn the page."

Other riders and photographers who were following the peloton did not see the spectator cause the crash but Alafaci and Coledan confirmed their version to several Italian journalists. Initial video footage of the crash did not reveal the initial cause or identify the cyclist Alafaci blamed.