"Anyone who wants to throw beer will now think twice" - Bart Wellens praises quick police response to Iserbyt controversy at Koppenbergcross
Cyclocross
There were some unsavoury scenes last Friday, November 1st at Koppenbergcross as Belgian national champion Eli Iserbyt was the victim of some targeted abuse by a member of the crowd, how opted to launch their beer as Iserbyt as he rode past.
On lap 2, as Iserbyt and teammate Michael Vanthourenhout looked to put the pressure on at the front of the race, a supporter at the side of the course vented his frustrations at Iserbyt, throwing a drink over the Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal star. A few moments later, TV cameras spotted the fan in question being escorted away from the race by security.
"For once, they handled that perfectly," praises the two time cyclocross world champion in his column for Het Nieuwsblad. "First there was speaker Niko De Muyter who immediately responded by calling for it to be sporting. But more importantly, barely a few minutes later, footage was shown of how the beer-thrower was led away by the police. Everyone was able to see that action is being taken after all."
"Beer throwing happens all the time and it is always passed. But actually it shouldn't be and that's why I can only applaud the approach of both organisation and police. And that an official report has been drawn up. Anyone who wants to throw beer will think twice now," continues the Belgian. "By the way, the Koppenberg was again a big party for the cross. There were more people watching the juniors than came to see the elites at any other cross this season. In the elite, you could perfectly follow where Iserbyt and co were via the audience. And then there are those guys who call for the race to be held on Wednesday. I ran into Erwin Vervecken and he stuck to a dry ‘hi’. I knew immediately what time it was. To be clear, I understand why they want to organise on November 1 and last Friday proved that all too well. But my concern went to the riders' staff. Otherwise: long live the Koppenberg."
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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- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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A fan was escorted out after he threw the contents of his cup over Eli Iserbyt during the Oudenaarde cyclo-cross ❌ #cyclocross
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