27/12/2023

"It was 1,000% my fault what happened there. Mathieu had to push me" - Felipe Nystrom takes the blame and ends cyclocross season early as a result of controversial Van der Poel incident

One of the big talking points from Boxing Day's UCI World Cup round in Gavere was an incident involving world champion, Mathieu van der Poel and Costa Rican cult hero, Felipe Nystrom.

Nystrom, being lapped by the Dutchman was never in the battle for the win and as such took time for a selfie with a fan. As he attempted to restart his racing however, he stepped out in front of van der Poel, being shoved hard, back into the barriers for his troubles. This controversial incident has seen criticism of both riders from various analysts but for Nystrom, the blame is totally his.

Dutch national coach on Mathieu van der Poel: "I would understand it if he skipped a year. That boy can't do anything low profile, there's a camera on everything he does"

“I feel terrible. It was 1,000% my fault what happened there. Mathieu had to push me - it should have been even harder. I was in the way and I feel very bad about it," he says in an apology message. "I am concerned that Mathieu may receive hate messages. Some people tell me I'm stupid, but others say Van der Poel was mean and didn't have to push me. It's horrible that he would experience a negative impact from a situation I put him in. (sigh) I wish that I could look Mathieu in the eye and say how sorry I am."

So bad does Nystrom feel, the Costa Rican is set to travel home, ending his season much earlier than originally planned. “I don't really deserve to be here,” he confesses sadly. "I had a dream and I achieved it, but my mistake on Tuesday is too big for me to continue. Normally I would have had the means to continue until the World Championships, but now I'm just going to leave next week."

"I'm going to give the other Costa Rican (Joseph Ramirez, ed.) one last push in Hulst and then he has to take over the torch. I have to bear the consequences of my actions, I have disappointed people," Nystrom concludes.

"Any reaction from Van Der Poel would be justified" - Felipe Orts defends Mathieu van der Poel after pushing Felipe Nystrom

🇨🇷 Felipe Nystrom says he will go home early after the incident with 🇳🇱 MVDP in 🇧🇪 Gavere. "It was 1000% my fault. Mathieu had to push me. I was in the way and feel bad about it. My mistake is too big to continue. I'm gonna leave next week."https://t.co/nb25y22Ac0
— Cyclocross24.com (@cyclocross24) December 27, 2023