The Gavere World Cup had a very unusual incident when race leader Mathieu van der Poel gave a push to Felipe Nystrom, popular Costa Rican rider who was being lapped at the time. The incident led to a controversy on whether it was justified or not.
Nystrom had finished last in the race but, as a fan favourite, he made the day of some fans by stopping a few seconds to take a selfie with one right before being lapped and having his race ended. However he was on the track and in the line which the World Champion was following, van der Poel gave him a push and a shrug of the head in frustration. New fan footage shows the incident in another angle, including Nystrom stopping for several seconds.
“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," Nystrom said following the incident, admitting the blame, then deciding to allow another teammate to take his spot in the Hulst World Cup race. "I don't really deserve to be here. I had a dream and I achieved it, but my mistake on Tuesday is too big for me to continue."
Van der Poel however, who went on to win the race, was sympathetic with Nystrom: "I read that he apologizes, but that's not even necessary. I wasn't angry with him either. Felipe made an error in judgment and that can happen. Everyone makes a mistake sometimes. He should certainly not give up his dream for that. I hope he stays here and continues to complete his planned program."
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