diff --git a/proxy/http_proxy.go b/proxy/http_proxy.go
index c8226a3a5..28ef2feff 100644
--- a/proxy/http_proxy.go
+++ b/proxy/http_proxy.go
@@ -150,6 +150,11 @@ func (p *HTTPProxy) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	// TODO(fs): a defensive approach.
 	if t.StripPath != "" && strings.HasPrefix(r.URL.Path, t.StripPath) {
 		targetURL.Path = targetURL.Path[len(t.StripPath):]
+		// ensure absolute path after stripping to maintain compliance with
+		// section 5.1.2 of RFC2616 (https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2616#section-5.1.2)
+		if !strings.HasPrefix(targetURL.Path, "/") {
+			targetURL.Path = "/" + targetURL.Path
+		}
 	}
 
 	if err := addHeaders(r, p.Config, t.StripPath); err != nil {