CX beer-throwers: ‘Anyone who wants to will now think twice’
Former pro Bart Wellens says that the Iserbyt hooch-heaver was disciplined correctly
Justice was served for an unruly spectator at the 2024 Koppenbergcross, signalling that rider harassment may not be tolerated going forward. After the race, Eli Iserbyt made headlines, though not for his second-place finish.
During the second lap, as Iserbyt and teammate Michael Vanthourenhout fought for position at the front, a frustrated spectator threw a drink—presumably beer—at Iserbyt of Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal. Security quickly tracked down the fan, and he was ejected from the course. With the incident caught on camera, race officials had no trouble identifying him.
Situation was handled correctly
Former pro cyclocross and road cyclist Bart Wellens is happy with the swift actions by the organizers. He hopes it dissuades future fans from acting like total d-bags.
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“For once, they handled that perfectly. 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,” the former world champion penned in his column for Het Nieuwsblad. “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 organization and police. And that an official report has been drawn up. Anyone who wants to throw beer will think twice now.”
CX and its history of hecklers
In December 2023, Mathieu van der Poel claimed victory at the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Hulst, Netherlands, amid a tense atmosphere. Alpecin-Deceuninck’s star rode past heckling fans and responded with a dismissive spit. “What happened? Just booers—starting even in warm-up. I’m done with it. If you feel that way, stay home,” he said, adding, “These things don’t belong in sports. After a while, it’s enough, even for me.”
The next big ‘cross race is Saturday at the Cyclocross Rucphen in the Netherlands. The first UCI Cyclocross World Cup is set for Nov. 24 in Antwerp.