Startled cyclists found themselves neck and neck with a giraffe who decided to join them during a race.

Zoon Cronje, 35, of Pretoria, South Africa, was watching the Cape Pioneer Trek, a mountain bike race, when he captured the moment the wild animal sprinted alongside the shocked riders.

“It could have been very dangerous, giraffes are massive animals and the riders didn’t have the vantage point we had to see it coming,” Cronje told Caters of the event.

“There were three giraffes and they probably got spooked by the sound of the mountain bikes passing nearby, but one of them decided to run in the wrong direction, crossing paths with the riders,” he added.

Cronje — who photographs extreme sports events — says he’s never encountered anything as wild as the giraffe.

“I had a front-row seat to the action holding my breath, and luckily instinct kicked in and I kept shooting rather than staring,” Cronje said.