Cyclo-cross rider Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) was disqualified from a race and fined after he stomped on a fellow competitor’s bike.
The Belgian champion planted his foot onto the again wheel of Fenix rider Ryan Kamp’s bike after the pair crashed collectively at Saturday’s Actual Cross occasion in Beringen, Belgium. Following the incident, a race official pulled Iserbyt from the course, and he was later fined 100 CHF (£89.09).
The preliminary collision got here on the fifth of eight laps of the muddy circuit, when Kamp and Iserbyt went shoulder-to-shoulder on a pointy downhill part. Iserbyt crashed right into a picket pole, with Kamp falling beside him.
Writing on X afterwards, Iserbyt mentioned he was overcome with a “rage of anger” that led him to stomp on his opponent’s bike.
Kamp needed to run again to the pits, holding his bike which appeared to have a damaged rear derailleur. The Dutchman ended up ending twenty second, three minutes and 50 seconds behind the winner, Lars van der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions).
Shortly after the race completed, Iserbyt shared an apology message on X: “I perceive the choice of the jury to dsq me as we speak in Beringen. My acts after the laborious crash had been made in a rage of anger and don’t belong on this sport. For this I wish to apologise to everybody concerned. Now I’ll deal with the constructive issues and sit up for the subsequent races!”
Iserbyt additionally gave an interview to Belgian publication HLN, during which he mentioned his response was “not vital”, however got here after one thing Kamp had mentioned to him. Requested what the feedback had been, Iserbyt mentioned: “I’m not going to repeat that, however sure it was soiled.”
The duo had been teammates at Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal for 5 years till Kamp joined Fenix – a racing arm linked to his highway crew Alpecin-Deceuninck – earlier this yr. In response to Iserbyt, stress between the 2 had been “simmering for some time”, with incidents of “chopping up” and “pushing” final season.
Kamp was additionally approached for remark concerning the incident in Beringen. “The neatest factor is to say nothing. Worse issues will come of it,” he instructed HLN.
“We had been using subsequent to one another within the nook, nothing extra occurred. There was contact, however that is a part of cross, I believe. I am not going to say something extra about it. It is positive,” Kamp added.
