DALI, China, Nov. 13 -- A number of cyclists were injured in a head-on crash here on Thursday in an international cycling race in southwestern China's Yunnan Province.

Seventeen injured riders were rushed to hospital after a rare spate of falls happened at the fourth stage when the leading group missed the finish gate and then turned back, only to crash head-on into an onrushing group of sprinters.

"I guessed there was something wrong with the guiding vehicle and referees, who reportedly didn't do their job," said Xing Yandong, a veteran Chinese cyclist, adding the vehicle may have been misleading at the finish.

Chinese netizens slammed the organizing committee for the "bizarre and horrible accident", but the organizers refused to take the blame, only saying they would "cooperate with relevant bodies and tried their best in follow-up work".

The 2nd Colorful Yunnan Gryffindor International Cycling Race opened on Nov. 8 in Kunming, capital of the province, with the participation of about 1,000 cyclists from 25 countries and regions.