Amateur cyclist accidentally joins Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: "I was completely unaware that I was on course"
Cycling
During Saturday afternoon's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, fans at the side of the road on the Muur van Geraardsbergen were surprised to see an unfamiliar cyclist in an unknown white jersey riding amongst some of the world leaders on the climb.
That man was 20-year-old Belgian amateur, Jaro Spitaels and his story of just how he came to find himself riding alongside some of the biggest names in the sport in one of the most renowned races on the calendar is a truly incredible tale so strap yourselves in.
“I was completely unaware that I was on course,” he tells Het Nieuwsblad, revealing he had actually intended to ride the climb before any of the big names were anywhere near. “I left too late, so I knew it was going to be close. But when I rode onto the course at the Geraardsbergen hospital, I asked the officer if I could continue riding. He said that was possible.”
“I never saw a rider, motorcycle or car, so I never noticed anything. A signalman also said that I could continue. I only realized that something was wrong when I got all the way to the top and saw all the support cars on the road ready to take part in the race. Then I thought: Shit, riders must have already passed here,” Spitaels continues. “It was already fantastic to ride up the Muur with all those supporters, but when I think back now that I was actually in the race... That's great. Although I'm especially glad that nothing happened. I cannot imagine that I would have disrupted the course."
Whilst undoubtedly a nice story for Spitaels to tell in the coming years, the race has come in for criticism over the incident. “It is a shame to hear that some people feel called to pull a stunt,” says Flanders Classics head of communications Annelore Cleuren. “By doing so, you not only endanger the safety of the competition, but also your own. The fact that the sport is practiced on public roads makes the race vulnerable. That is why it is nice that in almost all cases we can count on everyone: signalers, law enforcement, emergency services and the public.”
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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Local amateur rides up the Muur during the Omloop, says he was running late, rushed to the race, was allowed on the course and didn't realise he was between groups of racers nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf2024022… (🇳🇱)
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