"I felt like a crash-test dummy" - Big controversy on the track at Paris 2024 after Jan-Willem van Schip is DQ'd for headbutt to Oliver Wood
Track Cycling
In a crash-marred Madison at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the hopes of Team GB came to a crashing halt as Netherlands' Jan-Willem van Schip and Oliver Wood came together, with the latter sent flying off the track as a result.
In the end, it was a blow for both riders as whilst Wood's medal hopes had come to a crashing halt, Van Schip was disqualified and fined for his headbutt to the Brit that brought upon the crash. “He hit me so hard, I felt like a crash-test dummy,” Wood said afterwards. “It’s not my first crash – just a bit different when you get hit from behind, you don’t see it coming. Instead of taking a high line around the track, I thought he’d cut it a bit fine and just ploughed into me."
“I’m trying to catch my breath. I have no clue, absolutely no clue what happened," continued the disorientated crash victim. "All I know is I got hit really hard, from behind, by literally the biggest rider on the track. When there are people all over the track, it is inevitable that people are going to collide wheels or whatever.”
After the race, an official announcement from the Olympic committee stated: "Following the review of an incident during the Men's Madison, Team 6; Netherlands, have been disqualified under article 1.10,008 point 8.1." The rule states that cyclists shouldn't endanger each other, which could lead to a team's disqualification if the rule is broken.
“I don’t know what I have done but my knee really hurts and my arse really hurts. But I am alright, I will survive. I will live to fight another day,” Wood added, admitting his medal were already slim by that point. “In that scenario, we were out of the race. There is no point raising anything.”
See the incident for yourself down below and make up your own mind!
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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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
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- 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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- he is doing 460 watts for 35 min to achieve 7 w/kg with VO2 at 96 , just unreal numbers.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just do it, and put up with the consequencesJumpyjohn08-11-2026
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