Protestors are back in cycling - Tour of Bruges defending champion crashes out after road block
Cycling
The 2026 Tour of Bruges has been won by Dylan Groenewegen in an impressive display of power and form. However it was a race where not all sprinters made it to the finish - some due to the echelons, some due to crashes. But none other than defending champion Juan Sebastián Molano was taken out of the race due to a crash caused by a protestor.
The incident happened with just under 30 kilometers to go, in which the Colombian rider hit the ground, seemingly after colliding with a motorbike that was stopped on the side of the road. There were several vehicles in the area, as right in front of the peloton, a climate activist threatened to block the road. He acted by himself, and was arrested following the incident. That happened as Molano crashed however, causing the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider to crash - Not UAE's sole rider to crash on the day, as both Jay Vine and Ivo Oliveira hit the deck at the Volta a Catalunya.
Hours after the incident, it has been reported by Het Nieuwsblad that the protestor is a known figure in Bruges: Wouter Mouton; who is said to have already led protests at the Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège in the past, as well as other non-sports related incidents.
A member of the Bruges police department shared with the Belgian news outlet that "he has been administratively detained, and an investigation is underway to determine if there is a connection between the crash and Wouter Mouton's presence along the course".
The race was heavily affected by the crosswinds but ultimately ended in a bunch sprint. Dylan Groenewegen took the victory, marking a triumphant return to the World Tour wins after two years, and taking Unibet Rose Rockets' first triumph in the top division of cycling. The racing schedule will continue in Belgium over the week with the E3 Saxo Classic this Friday.
Waiting for confirmation if Molano's crash was caused by a crazy protester, he apparently complained about that.#RondevanBrugge pic.twitter.com/GNzVy5BPhD
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) March 25, 2026
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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.
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- Great win.However will the world champions jersey be simply a domestic for the season which will some what tarnish the jersey. I hope he is given free rein to try and win some races.paultryan200206-11-2026
- Gretsky wow how old are you lol. Classy sportman though.🤣🤣🤣🤣 Hope it is a good as the one they made on Mark Cavendish.paultryan200206-11-2026
- Literally the perfect RedBull athlete.anonymouscyclist06-11-2026
- And well understood in the CX community.anonymouscyclist06-11-2026
- "Anatomy of a G.O.A.T." OK, that's great!!! I've been saying all along: Tadej Pogačar-Pogi is the G.O.A.T... period. Not only in cycling... but he's the greatest sportsman that ever lived !!! But let's take a look of what real foolishness is. We have many many fools, also on this site, saying that Pogi is "boring,"... he's making cycling "boring"??? I can't believe what's comming out of their deteriorating bad breath mouths. So I guess Merckx, Hinault, Indurain, Fasto Coppi and Anquetil were also boring at their time!?!? I guess Michael Jordan, Le Bron, Gretzky, Messi, Ronaldo, Shumacher, Novak Džoković, Federer, Rossi, Marquez, Phelps, Michaela Shiffrin, Venus Williams, Bolt, Lewis Hamilton... etc. were all boring. PS: Many cycling fans that think that way, have to get a brain scan. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans06-11-2026
- ridiculous. a normal racing incident. how lame do you have to be to complain about that?Ketterechts06-11-2026
- Rubbing is racing.
santiagobenites06-11-2026 - Throws an elbow, but crashes afterwards and he's upset.
Front24206-11-2026 - There should be nothing but praise for them: 1. Trying to make things safer, and 2. Trying something "new".acem8206-11-2026
- And a bit of a malcontent on top of it all that doesn’t help.mij06-11-2026
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