"He thought we would stop" - Yves Lampaert reacted with shock to Tour of Bruges protestor who caused a crash
Cycling
The 2026 Tour of Bruges was a race marked by the echelons, thrilling final sprint in which Dylan Groenewegen took the win, but also a protestor who blocked the peloton. Yves Lampaert saw the incident first-hand from the head of the peloton and was dumbfounded by what was happening.
Lampaert is a top classics rider for over a decade in the peloton and he has seen a lot happen in the world's most prestigious classics. As a former winner of the Tour of Bruges himself, he knows how to tackle that race, and that is often from the front, as the winds often create total chaos.
From that position, he happened to come across a different scenario this year. A climate protestor, famous in the region, who planned out a disruption to the race. It was achieved, but not without getting arrested by the local police. Additionally, it led to a crash in the peloton.
Lampaert was right at the head of the peloton as the protestor ran off the road
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"He thought we would stop" - Yves Lampaert, who did not plan to stop
Lampaert described the incident from his point of view, shocked by the protestor's efforts. “It was actually a bizarre image. He was sitting there like he was glued to the road," he described in words to De Reconstructie.
The proximity of the protestor to the peloton caused tension, moving and braking. This caused a mass fall behind, which did affect the race, taking out amongst others Juan Sebastián Molano who was forced to abandon the race.
Lampaert described the actions of the then-identified individual Wouter Mouton, who has in the past organized separate protests in cycling races. "As we got closer, he realized we were not going to stop. He started waving with one hand, and then he ran into the bushes.”
But it was too late. Whilst Lampaert evaded the fall, others behind did not. The veteran was shocked and only had time to react and protect himself in the situation. “I could just get around it. But you don’t process it. You just react. You could see the fear, he thought we would stop.”
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
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