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‘I’m really sorry’: Cyclist causes horror crash after riding through puddle

Filip maciejuk was disqualified from the tour of flanders and could now face further punishment, article bookmarked.

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Polish rider Filip Maciejuk has apologised for causing a mass crash at the Tour of Flanders that took out half of the peloton.

Maciejuk attempted to cut across a grassy verge in order to move towards the front of the pack, but the Bahrain Victory rider lost control cycling through a puddle and careered into the group, causing a domino-effect. The incident took out 2016 champion Peter Sagan in his final Flanders race while Tim Wellens had to retire due to injuries.

Maciejuk was disqualified from the race and could now face further punishment should cycling ’s governing body, the UCI , investigate the incident.

“I’m really sorry for my mistake and causing the crash today,” Maciejuk tweeted. “I hope all those involved are in good health,” Maciejuk wrote on Twitter. “This should not happen and was a big error in my judgment.

“I had no intention of causing this. All I can do now is apologise for my mistake and learn from this in the future. Sorry again to the peloton, my teammates and the fans.”

Some fellow riders were not impressed with Maciejuk’s actions.

“The big crash happened just in front of me. It was his own mistake. I don’t know what he was planning to do there,” said Mathieu van der Poel, who finished runner-up to race winner Tadej Pogacar. “They should create punishments for such behavior. It’s so obvious. It was like a bowling ball rolling into the peloton. It was really not necessary at that point of the race.”

In response to Maciejuk’s apology, Movistar rider Carlos Verona tweeted: “Unfortunately it is not only you taking too much risk in the bunch nowadays. This sport is getting more and more dangerous for behaviors like yours today and I hope @UCI_cycling starts to do something because there is no respect in the peloton anymore! 😞.”

Two-time Tour de France champion Pogacar joked that he could now retire happy from cycling after winning the Tour of Flanders classic for the first time.

Pogacar, who won the showcase Tour in 2020 and 2021, became only the third cyclist to win both races after Frenchman Louison Bobet and Belgian great Eddy Merckx. The 24-year-old Slovenian clinched victory with a superb solo attack to add Flanders — one of the five "monument races" in one-day cycling — to his glittering list of wins.

“I can say that I can retire after today and I can be proud of my career,” Pogacar said. “I can be super happy and proud.”

Pogacar dropped Dutchman Van der Poel about 18 kilometers from the end of the 273.4-kilometer (169.5-mile) trek from Bruges to Audenarde and beat him by 16 seconds. Dane Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) was third, ahead of Belgian Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) in fourth spot — both 1:12 behind Pogacar.

additional reporting by Reuters

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Filip Maciejuk’s Dangerous Riding Causes Huge Tour of Flanders Crash

Video footage shows that the disastrous pileup could easily have been avoided

The bizarre and dangerous move came after two hours of riding, going into a cobble section leading into the next climb. Clearly, position was on everyone’s mind. It appears that Maciejuk found himself unexpectedly lined up to ride through a grassy section, instead of staying on the road. He goes through a puddle in the grass, and then loses control of his bike and leans hard into the peloton. Behind him, riders fall like dominos.

According to the Escape Collective , dozens were involved in the crash “The worst off was clearly Wellens, who was last seen curled up on a patch of grass. Others definitely affected were Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies) – who was later confirmed to have abandoned his last Tour of Flanders following the crash – Ben Turner (Ineos Grenadiers), Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step), a number of riders from both Bora-Hansgrohe and EF Education-EasyPost, and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma).”

CyclingNews reports, “The video referee reviewed the footage and it was soon announced that Maciejuk was disqualified, the commissaires calling the Pole to drop back and climb off his bike.” It’s not wildly uncommon for a rider to stray from the road a bit during the Spring Classics, but this was an easy call for officials to make.

Later that day, in addition to releasing a formal statement, Maciejuk, 23, took to Twitter to express his regret , saying “I’m really sorry for my mistake and causing the crash today. I hope all those involved are in good health and safe. This should not happen and was a big error in my judgment.

The overall consensus among other riders seems to be that Maciejuk didn’t mean to cause such a pileup. Maciejuk’s teammate, Matej Mohorič, said in an interview , “I don’t think he did it on purpose…He went, like everyone else, on the left side on the cobbles, and then he didn’t expect the grass to be so deep and lost control of the bike. So it was unfortunate, but I don’t think he meant anything bad.”

Micah Ling is a freelance writer who lives in the mountains of Colorado. She splits her free time between mountain biking and trail running.

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UCI to investigate massive Tour of Flanders crash, road-blocking team tactics

'We want to set an example' says UCI official

The UCI have confirmed they are considering further disciplinary action against Bahrain Victorious rider Filip Maciejuk after he sparked a huge crash during Sunday’s Tour of Flanders. 

Maciejuk was seen moving up along the side of the road with 140 km to race.  He then rode into a deep grass section, lost control of his bike and swayed across the road into the peloton.

His move sparked off a domino effect of crashes across the road, with numerous riders going down. 

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) was among the riders to crash although he quickly remounted and rejoined the peloton. Former winner Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies) was forced to abandon early in what was his final Tour of Flanders, while Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) was left with a badly fractured collarbone and Ben Turner (Ineos Grenadiers) fractured his left arm. 

Filip Maciejuk disqualified from Tour of Flanders after sparking huge crash - Video Tour of Flanders injury list – Wellens, Turner suffer fractures, Girmay concussed Team DSM make no friends with dodgy Tour of Flanders tactic

The video referee (VAR) reviewed the video footage of the incident and Maciejuk was disqualified before the race had finished. He quickly apologised on social media but the UCI is considering further action.  

“We want to set an example,” UCI coordinator Peter Van Den Abeele told Sporza .  

“His manoeuvre was absolutely wrong. You can never jeopardise the safety of your fellow riders.”

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“Further measures could definitely follow. He will appear before the disciplinary committee. A possible suspension and/or additional fine is then not excluded. We can’t let this pass.”

For years, riders have used gutters, footpaths, bike paths and even the dirt sections along the edge of roads to find an advantage and move up in races. However crashes and the dangers to the public have forced the UCI to introduce stricter rules and punishments.

“We were criticised when we introduced the rule against riding on a footpath, but the consequences [on Sunday] were significant for riders like Tim Wellens,” Van Den Abeele pointed out.

“It is a negative trend and we need to get rid of it. We want to set an example and send a signal to the riders that we are all responsible for safety.”

The UCI also confirmed it will look at DSM's use of what the Flemish media later described as a ‘ Catenaccio’ tactic during the Tour of Flanders. 

With some 126 kilometres to go on the Kortekeer climb, DSM's John Degenkolb and four of his teammates massed at the front of the peloton. They then slowed to a walking pace, forcing some riders to put a foot down, before accelerating on the front of the peloton. The tactic did not effect the race's development but garnered lots of criticism on social media. 

Mathieu van der Poel posted a video of the moment the squad massed on the Kortekeer on Twitter with a sarcastic "Chapeau Team DSM" comment, and Eddy Merckx called it "dangerous". Cyclingnews columnist Fabian Cancellara also contrasted the tactic with the absence of any DSM riders at the top of the results sheet.

Trek-Segafredo tried a similar move during Dwars door Vlaanderen on the same climb but now the UCI will investigate. 

"We have also noticed this trend," Van Den Abeele said. 

"We will analyse that tactic in more detail. Everyone must be able to defend their chances, but this strategy is very far-reaching."

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Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters , Shift Active Media , and CyclingWeekly , among other publications.

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Filip Maciejuk apologises for huge crash as Tadej Pogačar wins first Tour of Flanders

Sport Filip Maciejuk apologises for huge crash as Tadej Pogačar wins first Tour of Flanders

Tadej Pogačar has won the 107th Tour of Flanders, underlining his status as one of this generation's premier road cyclists.

The 2020 and 2021 Tour de France champion survived a number of huge crashes that saw several riders abandon with injuries.

Despite getting caught up in the carnage, Pogačar kept himself injury-free and rode away from his two big rivals, Dutch two-time champion Mathieu van der Poel and Belgian Wout van Aert, soloing to victory with 17 kilometres to go on the gruelling 273km race through northern Belgium.

The Slovenian rider finished the race in six hours, 12 minutes and one second, 17 seconds ahead of an exhausted van der Poel.

Danish rider Mads Pederson just pipped van Aert in the sprint for third, a minute and 13 seconds behind. 

"I knew that to go solo I needed to go on the Kwaremont the last time, I just gave it all," Pogačar said after the race.

"I knew that it was going to be tough but it was the only way to go to the finish."

This was Pogačar's 16th day of racing in 2023 and saw the Slovenian claim his tenth victory.

Those Eddie Merckx-like stats are oddly prescient. 

Only two men have ever won the Tour de France and the one-day Tour of Flanders: French legend Louison Bobet in 1955 and the Belgian legend Merckx, who won his second Tour of Flanders in 1975.

The two-time Tour de France champion and grand tour specialist now has won three of the five one-day monuments and, at just 24 years old, still has plenty more racing to come in his career, including regaining his Tour de France title later in the year.

"I think he was unbeatable today," van der Poel said of Pogačar, who added that it was probably his best ever performance in "the Ronde" but he just didn't have enough to go with his younger rival.

The Tour of Flanders had been hyped as a battle between three of cycling's most complete riders: Pogačar (24 years old), van der Poel (28) and van Aert (28).

They did not disappoint.

This trio have been going at each other, hammer and tongs, since the start of the year, serving up some superb racing at one-day races across Europe.

Van der Poel claimed victory in the first monument of the year at Milan-San Remo, while van Aert won the E3 Saxo Classic.

It took the trio a while to come together in earnest, but Pogačar attacked on the Kwaremont climb with just over 50km to go.

A further acceleration on the Koppenberg broke the rest of the chasers and set up his 17km solo effort.

Pogačar said he could already consider his season a success, even joking that he can retire and be proud of his career.

He added that he would not rule out challenging for the two monuments missing from his collection — Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo — later in his career.

Rapid pace, crashes mar first half of race

A rapid opening hour — the fastest ever by almost 5km per hour — ensured that no breakaway could form due to the helter-skelter nature of the peloton.

The race was typified by a number of big crashes, with almost every team affected by some brutal shunts.

Cross winds caused an early split that had van der Poel in the second group, before a crash saw Pogačar caught out and forced into chasing back on.

That crash saw Dutch rider Danny van Poppel abandon but was far from the worst as the peloton became jittery as they approached the major obstacles of cobbles, vertiginous climbs and combination of the two that characterise the historic Flemish monument.

Polish rider for Bahrain Victorious, Filip Maciejuk, caused the biggest pile up though, after he was caught wide of the peloton. With the paved area of the road coming to an end, he was forced through the grass, where a puddle of water careered his bike back into the middle of the road, and into the peloton at full pace.

Several riders went down and a number were forced to abandon with their injuries.

Maciejuk was subsequently disqualified from the race and issued an apology on twitter in which he described his move as "a big error" in judgement.

"I'm really sorry for my mistake and causing the crash today. I hope all those involved are in good health," Maciejuk wrote.

"This should not happen and was a big error in my judgement."

Former pro-cyclist Mark Renshaw said the crash was difficult to watch.

"Hurts to watch huge crashes likes this, Filip Maciejuk deserves being thrown out of the race," he wrote.

"I'd give him a couple of extra weeks out to think about that move and hopefully prevent other young riders doing the same."

In a separate incident, Eritrean outside bet Biniam Girmay also came down hard in a crash as the race took its toll.

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Tour of Flanders crash: Cyclist Filip Maciejuk ‘really sorry’ after causing 50 rider pile-up in spring classic

Maciejuk was disqualified after accidentally causing a mass pile up when he swerved into the peloton.

Filip Maciejuk has apologised for “a big error in judgment” after wiping out dozens of riders in a huge crash at the Tour of Flanders.

The Bahrain Victorious rider was disqualified for attempting to re-join the pack after cycling through a puddle and leaving a pile of cyclists in his wake when he collided with those at the front.

The cold and humid weather contributed to several crashes in Sunday’s race, but none so severe as this one, which left a tangle of legs and bikes strewn across the road.

Peter Sagan, the 2016 champion riding in his final Flanders, was one of the victims of the pile-up, with Tim Wellens being another notable rider who was forced to retire.

The moment Bahrain Victorious rider Filip Maciejuk caused the crash in the peloton, attempting to ride back onto the road 💥 #RVV23 pic.twitter.com/ixym03232A — Eurosport (@eurosport) April 2, 2023

Maciejuk was quick to apologise and reaffirmed that the crash was in no way deliberate, tweeting: “I’m really sorry for my mistake and causing the crash today. I hope all those involved are in good health and safe. This should not happen and was a big error in my judgement.

Chaos!! pic.twitter.com/AAhxbVMtNr — Dieter Vanthourenhout (@vanthourenhout) April 2, 2023

“I had no intention of causing this. All I can do now is apologise for my mistake and learn from this in the future.”

I’m really sorry for my mistake and causing the crash today. I hope all those involved are in good health and safe.This should not happen and was a big error in my judgement. — Filip (@FilipMaciejuk) April 2, 2023

Despite the crashes, the pace of the race was still quick, and Wellens’ abscence did not hinder teammate Tadej Pogacar, who joked that he could now retire happy from cycling after winning the classic for the first time.

Pogacar became only the third Tour de France champion to win Flanders after Frenchman Louison Bobet and Belgian great Eddy Merckx.

“With the speed on the cobbles I was already suffering,” said Pogacar, who races for UAE Team Emirates.

Sunday’s victory was his third “monument” win, after winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège in Belgium in 2021 and the Tour of Lombardy for the past two years.

The two he has yet to win are Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix, which has even tougher cobbles than Flanders and is being held next Sunday. Mathieu van der Poel won Milan-San Remo this year with Pogacar finishing in fourth place.

“San Remo is the most difficult one [of the five monuments], I arrived there in good shape this year,” said Pogacar, who also won the Paris-Nice stage race this year.

He is uncertain whether he is bulky enough to take on Roubaix, which is known as “L’Enfer du Nord” (The Hell of the North).

“I think I need to gain a few kilos for Roubaix,” Pogacar said. “Toughen my hands for the cobbles.”

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Filip Maciejuk disqualified from Tour of Flanders after causing horror crash

Filip maciejuk (bahrain-victorious) had a tour of flanders to forget, disqualified from the race after he caused a massive crash in the peloton which saw multiple riders forced to withdraw from the monument..

Riders struggle back to their feet after being involved in a huge crash at the 2023 Tour of Flanders. Source: Getty

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Tour de pologne, tour du limousin, tour of denmark, la vuelta a espana, tour de l'avenir, uci mtb eliminator world cup - sao paulo, deutschland tour, gp de plouay-lorient-agglomeration, bretagne classic - ouest-france, benelux tour (renewi tour), uci mountain bike world championships, tour of britain (men), tour de romandie women, gp de fourmies (coupe de france), massive crash as 40 riders hit the tarmac at tour of flanders 2023, the tour of flanders was marred by a mass fall on sunday as around 40 riders hit the tarmac with wout van aert and julian alaphilippe amongst the fallers..

Cycling's Tour of Flanders was marred by a mass fall on Sunday as around 40 riders hit the tarmac

Cycling's Tour of Flanders was marred by a mass fall on Sunday as around 40 riders hit the tarmac with culprit Filip Maciejuk, who was disqualified from the race, offering a complete apology for "a big error in my judgement".

Wout van Aert and Julian Alaphilippe were able to continue but eventual winner Tadej Pogacar lost key teammate Tim Wellens while another fancied rider, Britain's Tom Pidcock lost Ben Turner.

Former champion Peter Sagan also had to pull out of the race due to the fall.

The accident happened around 140km into the 273km cobbled classic as Bahrain Victorious rider Maciejuk hit a pothole hidden by a puddle while trying to get around the peloton on a grass verge.

He veered wildly in front of other riders, then had to watch in dismay as a tangle of riders and bikes hit the ground.

I’m really sorry for my mistake and causing the crash today. I hope all those involved are in good health and safe.This should not happen and was a big error in my judgement. — Filip (@FilipMaciejuk) April 2, 2023

Maciejuk was expelled from the race within minutes.

"I'm really sorry for my mistake and causing the crash today," said the embarrassed Polish rider.

"I hope all those involved are in good health and safe. This should not happen and was a big error in my judgement."

He added: "All I can do now is apologise for my mistake and learn from this in the future."

The race was eventually won by Pogacar, with Alaphilippe and Pidcock finishing eight minutes down on the day.

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Bahrain-Victorious rider apologises for causing huge Tour of Flanders crash: 'This should not happen'

Filip Maciejuk was disqualified from the race

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The Bahrain-Victorious rider Filip Maciejuk has issued an apology for causing a huge crash at the Tour of Flanders that led to both Peter Sagan and Tim Wellens abandoning.

Following a rapid first 130km of racing, the Polish rider crashed into the front of the peloton after riding into a deep puddle on the side of the road.

The 23 year old was flanking the left side of the peloton as he tried to make his way up to the head of the bunch, but once he rejoined the road he rode straight into Wellens and provoked a massive pile-up.

Julian Alaphilippe of Soudal-QuickStep was one of the first to fall, while Wout van Aert of Jumbo-Visma also hit the ground. Both were OK to continue in the race, but Wellens of UAE-Team Emirates and Sagan of TotalEnergies were unable to.

Shortly afterwards Maciejuk was disqualified from the race, and he took to Twitter to apologise for the incident.

He wrote: “I’m really sorry for my mistake and causing the crash today. I hope all those involved are in good health and safe. This should not happen and was a big error in my judgement.

“I had no intention of causing this. All I can do now is apologise for my mistake and learn from this in the future. Sorry again to the peloton, my teammates and the fans.”

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Maciejuk was riding his second De Ronde after finishing 84th in 2022. He joined Bahrain-Victorious and the WorldTour tanks last year. His best result as a professional so far is fourth in the Polish Time Trial Championships last June.

Prior to signing for Bahrain-Victorious, he twice won the GC in the Carpathian Couriers Race in Poland.

He is regarded as one of his country’s burgeoning promises, and has formed a key part of his team’s Classics campaign this spring. His best result was 45th at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.

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A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and long reads across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013. In 2024 he released a seven-part podcast documentary, Ghost in the Machine , about motor doping in cycling.

Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains. He lives in Valencia, Spain.

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"Just the noise of carbon cracking": Luke Rowe recalls Tour of Flanders horror crash

Luke Rowe and Geraint Thomas have spoken out about the Tour of Flanders crash which saw Bahrain Victorious' Filip Maciejuk disqualified as the UCI eyes further sanctions.

The Ineos Grenadiers duo, speaking on their Watts Occurring podcast, also addressed Team DSM's move to slow the race to a standstill on one of the climbs before explosively accelerating, saying the roadblock attack was "taking the piss" and "filthy tactics".

Rowe finished the race in 95th place, Jhonatan Narváez the team's best finisher in 25th, and recalled the horror of the high-speed crash as the peloton jostled for position ahead of the first ascent of the Oude Kwaremont.

"You know when you hear a crash?" he told Thomas. "Just the noise of carbon cracking, the noise just continued [through the bunch]. It was like a bus ran through the peloton."

Chaos!! pic.twitter.com/AAhxbVMtNr — Dieter Vanthourenhout (@vanthourenhout) April 2, 2023

Despite the carnage, and the "big f****** mistake" of Maciejuk, Rowe admitted he "feels sorry" for the 23-year-old who was disqualified for causing the pile-up.

"He made a big mistake, he didn't do it on purpose," he said, explaining the scene of the crash, on the fast, wide pre-Kwaremont descent where the battle for position is fierce and riders jump up the outside of the road to gain a few places. Rowe admitted "rightly or wrongly, everyone does it".

"You shouldn't use it, but people do and then you squeeze back into the peloton. He came back into the peloton horizontally and probably caused 40,50 guys to crash. A lot of broken bones, but that's the funny thing about it — he managed to stay upright.

Massive crash in the peloton with dozens of riders involved. Wellens seems to be the biggest victim. #RVVmen #RVV23 pic.twitter.com/CovtCaZdlv — Ronde van Vlaanderen (@RondeVlaanderen) April 2, 2023

"He made a massive mistake but I feel sorry for him. He is public enemy number one, maybe I shouldn't feel sorry for him because he caused a lot of people to break their bones.

"We were at dinner last night and Kurt Bogaerts [Ineos Grenadiers sports director] was there and he read an article from one of the big Belgian news [sites]... and I don't know what his name is but it said 'his name: the guy who ruined the Tour of Flanders'. Imagine that being you."

Thomas, on training camp at altitude in the Sierra Nevada, said he was at a mid-ride cafe stop when it happened, teammate Ben Swift showing the other riders on his phone... "Oh my god, that is insane," Thomas recalled saying. "I think Pavel [Sivakov] said he was in Paris-Nice with this same guy [Maciejuk] and he almost did the same thing, moving up on the grass and was everywhere.

"A few of the boys had prior experience of this manoeuvre that this guy has tried pulling off before so they were less sympathetic."

> Tadej Pogačar uploads Tour of Flanders win to Strava... gets flagged

"He got disqualified," Rowe jumped in. "And they are talking about further repercussions, I don't know if that will turn into anything. I don't know the guy but put yourself in his shoes. I've made mistakes in my career, nothing quite as bad as that, but I just feel sorry for him a little bit."

"It would feel like he's the scapegoat," Thomas replied. "A lot of guys do a lot of things wrong, make a lot of mistakes, repeat those mistakes and nothing happens because it's not on camera or whatever, it would feel harsh if this one guy gets singled out. It would feel like he's taking a massive punishment when a lot of other people are doing things wrong. Whether that's a reason not to punish him, I don't know.

"It will teach him a lesson for sure, but there are still a lot of knobheads out there that are doing things that are just as bad."

"We want to set an example"

Further punishment for Maciejuk seems likely, UCI coordinator Peter Van Den Abeele telling Sporza "we want to set an example. His manoeuvre was absolutely [wrong]. You may never jeopardise the safety of fellow riders".

"Further measures can definitely follow," he continued. "He will appear before the disciplinary committee. A possible suspension and/or additional fine is then not excluded. This will not just pass."

Echoing the sentiment of Rowe and Thomas' assessment, Tim Wellens — one of the riders worst injured by the crash, suffering a broken collarbone and undergoing surgery on Sunday — said it "was not a smart move, but I think Maciejuk has already been punished enough on social media".

"I don't know the Pole from Bahrain Victorious personally, but I suppose he would have given his collarbone not to be the cause of this massive crash," Wellens said.

"I wasn't a fan of that — I think it's taking the piss a bit"

Thomas and Rowe also discussed Team DSM's extreme version of the 'go slow' tactic on the Kortekeer, slowing to a near-standstill at the head of the peloton before accelerating to try to catch riders out behind.

 "I was on the front with Degenkolb and he was like 'shall we go slow on the climb?'" Rowe recalled. "Of course, for sure, I dropped back and it was three DSM and Connor [Swift] at the front. There's going slow on a climb and there's going slow on a climb.

"I was struggling to keep my forward momentum. I'm all up for taking it slow, you get time to recover, but this was too much.

Le prix de la perfidie est attribué au Team DSM (cette video n'est pas en slow motion) #LesRP #RVV2023 pic.twitter.com/pbB1TdnI5A — Emmanuelle Faure (@EmmanuelleFaure) April 2, 2023

"Trek did a similar thing the other day at Dwars door Vlaanderen and a lot of teams have done that over the years, but they were almost on the front track standing. I was on the radio and told Connor to just go, but he couldn't hear me because of the crowds. I was like, 'Connor, just go, this is stupid' but he said he didn't hear me.

"I wasn't a fan of that, I think it's taking the piss a bit."

Thomas agreed: "I saw it as are they playing a dirty trick? To actually screw over people here and make them stop, clip out and then t*** it to easily split the peloton because you're doing 50km/h and the guys are still stopped for another 20 seconds [...] It's filthy tactics. There's no place for that."

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Dan is the road.cc news editor and has spent the past four years writing stories and features, as well as (hopefully) keeping you entertained on the live blog. Having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for the Non-League Paper, Dan joined road.cc in 2020. Come the weekend you'll find him labouring up a hill, probably with a mouth full of jelly babies, or making a bonk-induced trip to a south of England petrol station... in search of more jelly babies.

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Absolutely criminal; those long blue socks.

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Maciejuk has probably taken enough criticism over the crash in isolation, and probably doesn't need any more judgment had this been oothrewise innocuous.

However, this is a tactic often used as explained in the article, of riders trying to gain positions by effectively leaving the road. He was unfortunate enough to hit a deep rut in a grass verge that was part of the section he happened to take at the time. In other instances of riders leaving the confines of the road to gain an advantage, more often than not no obstacles cause crashes and riders escape unpunished despite technically being aginst UCI rules.

In motorsports, track limits are clearly defined and are only used as an "escape" to avoid crashes, but you lose time by doing so. If you gain an advantage by cutting the track, or cause a crash when you rejoin the track you are punished. If motorsports can enforce track/road limits, why can't the UCI?

I think the UCI and race commisaires need to share some of the blame for not consistently enforcing rules that led to Maciejuk taking an unneccessary risk where the rewards for pulling the move off outweigh or offset the consequences of failure. If he risked disqualification or punishment for making the move in the first place, not for causing the crash, would he have attempted the manouvre at all? Maybe not.

Yeah, if someone did that in a motor race, they'd be DSQ'd and a probable ban for a race or two.

Similarly in horse racing, you'd get a few weeks off.....

Cycling is miles behind other racing sports in regards to safety/ officialdom.....And they wonder why it keeps happening.

As I've already mentioned somewhere else, I believe there should be short term suspensions handed out to riders when they have clearly caused an avoidable crash. 

There is no need to get too emotive about it. Say 2-4 weeks for an obviously careless accident - the crash at the women's Wevelgem race where the women hit the seem in the middle of the road being a prime example, 4-12 weeks for something like this... clearly unintentional but equally predictable and avoidable, and 12weeks to six months if malice or blatant recklessness were involved - think Jakobsen's crash. 

If you are getting benched, or your riders are getting benched, you will soon make changes to your riding. 

Jimmy Ray Will wrote: If you are getting benched, or your riders are getting benched, you will soon make changes to your riding. 

Alongside that sensible measure, why not in-race penalties similar to F1's "stop and go" sanctions? This would stop riders taking chances of a "yeah I might get suspended for a week but if it helps the leader win a monument it's worth it" nature; riders seen deliberately overtaking off road or trying to push through the peleton too aggressively summoned to the rear and made to ride alongside the commisaire's car for a set period before being released back into the race.

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If it's one rider then yes it's possible. But then the jammer needs to be close enough to do it . Bear in mind they are moving at speed, so the...

Using something as a weapon in self-defence doesn't make it an offensive weapon though, which is a weapon designed or used for attack.

I just wondered where the car was parked before the other person drove off. 

With Wiggle gone, and I can't find the Chaoyang's that you mentioned 8  years ago, I have gone back to using Panasonic Category S2 700- 23c which...

That is very true. Not making a transfer is often the hardest thing to do. 

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WATCH: Cyclist Causes Massive Bike Pileup in Tour de Flanders

By Corey Buhay

Sometimes in big competitions, you have to take risks to win. But in this weekend’s Tour de Flanders, pro cyclist Filip Maciejuk took things a bit too far—and caused a 20-bike pileup right in the middle of the race. The collision, which was captured on video, ended up sidelining three cyclists (including Maciejuk). It may have also changed the outcome of the race.

So, what exactly happened?

About halfway through the 170-mile race , Maciejuk was getting ready to make his move, reports Gear Junkie . There was a United Arab Emirates athlete just in front of him, and Maciejuk was planning to sneak by on the guy’s left, then shoot out in front. So, he veered wide of the peloton, picking up speed to overtake his adversary. But as Maciejuk darted around the corner, he found himself unexpectedly rolling through clumpy grass and several inches of water. He tried to dodge the obstacles by veering back to the right, but he overcorrected—and collided straight into the peloton.

Maciejuk appears to nick another rider with his pedal, sending man teetering, wobbling, and then crashing bodily into the asphault. The downed man trips up the guys behind him. Before you know it, they’re all falling like dominos.

“That does not look good,” the announcer says. Understatement of the year, my guy.

Tim Wellens, the UAE cyclist Maciejuk had been trying to pass, broke his collarbone in the crash. He was taken off the racecourse and later brought to the hospital for surgery. Another cyclist, Ben Turner, broke his arm, reports Cycling News . Maciejuk later apologized for his actions on Twitter.

I’m really sorry for my mistake and causing the crash today. I hope all those involved are in good health and safe.This should not happen and was a big error in my judgement. — Filip (@FilipMaciejuk) April 2, 2023

Tour de Flanders is an internationally renowned bike race that’s been held annually since 1919. It’s a favorite of the cycling community and now features around 16,000 of the world’s top competitors each year. The course cruises through the Belgian countryside from Bruges (yep, the one from the movie), to the town of Oudenaarde. The route is famous for its scenery as well as its steep, cobblestone roads, which challenge riders’ climbing ability, their daring on steep downhills , and their strategic decision-making.

Tadej Pogačar, also a cyclist for the United Arab Emirates, ultimately won this year’s Tour de Flanders, finishing with a stunning lead. Pogačar is Slovenian by birth and has won the Tour de France twice.

As for Maciejuk? He escaped his collision unharmed, but was disqualified for his causing the crash. Better luck next year, Fil.

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Watch moment Bahraini Cyclist attempts ‘stupid' overtaking move that caused massive Tour of Flanders crash

3 April 2023, 13:05

By Jenny Medlicott

This is the moment moment a cyclist's disastrous error in judgement left his competitors in a nasty pile-up of mangled bikes and entangled limbs.

On Sunday Filip Maciejuk, 23, a cyclist for Team Bahrain Victorious, attempted a catastrophic overtaking manoeuvre that left a heap of cyclists toppled on top of each other mid-race.

Footage shows the cyclist attempt to overtake his competitors by going off-track and through a puddle, but his attempt to rejoin the peloton backfires as he swerves into other riders, caused fellow cyclists to topple over in a domino-like fashion.

Despite causing the crash, the cyclist continues to ride while looking back at the aftermath.

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The moment Bahrain Victorious rider Filip Maciejuk caused the crash in the peloton, attempting to ride back onto the road 💥 #RVV23 pic.twitter.com/ixym03232A — Eurosport (@eurosport) April 2, 2023

Mr Maciejuk was competing in Belgium's Tour of Flanders when the crash occurred.

On Twitter, the 23-year-old addressed the crash, saying: "I’m really sorry for my mistake and causing the crash today. I hope all those involved are in good health and safe.This should not happen and was a big error in my judgement."

He also added: "I had no intention of causing this. All I can do now is apologise for my mistake and learn from this in the future."

Peter Sagan was forced to cut his final Tour of Flanders race short, meanwhile Tim Wellens had to retire from the race due to injuries – two of the tour's most notable cyclists.

Mr Maciejuk was later disqualified from the remainder of the Tour due to his lapse in judgement.

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"My radio was not working" - Blanka Kata Vas explains controversial SD Worx tactics after Demi Vollering's crash on stage 5 of 2024 Tour de France Femmes

Blanka Kata Vas took the first stage win of her Tour de France Femmes career on Thursday afternoon in a thrilling finale to stage 5. Due to a late crash for her Team SD Worx - Protime leader Demi Vollering however, it wasn't the perfect day for the team.

"It's crazy, I still can't believe it. I don't know what to say! I really didn't expect this today because I felt so bad during the race," the Hungarian national champion reflects of her triumph in her post stage interview . "Anna Van der Breggen said to me 'believe in yourself' and then it helped me a lot."

VIDEO: Demi Vollering loses Maillot Jaune after hard crash in finale of stage 5 at 2024 Tour de France Femmes

As mentioned though, Vollering's crash and the subsequent losing of her Maillot Jaune was a big talking point post stage, as was the lack of support given to the Dutchwoman as she chased pretty much singlehandedly and ultimately unsuccessfully to get back into the bunch.

"My radio was not working so I didn't know what happened in the back but Demi crashed and lost Yellow so it's a shame," Vas says, explaining why both she and Lorena Wiebes offered no help to the defending Tour de France Femmes champion. "Now, I have mixed feelings. I was just in Mischa Bredewold's wheel so I was in 2nd position. I did not hear anything so I don't know what happened."

Despite this however, Vas' joy with the win can hardly be hidden. "In the final, I didn't want to make the same mistake as the Olympics [she finished 4th]. I was suffering so much but I knew if I was in a small group, maybe I can win," she concludes her post stage reflection. "Also the Olympics gave me a lot of confidence because I was racing in the front. So now, if I have a good day, I know I can be in the front."

Tour de France Femmes 2024 | Blanka Kata Vas secures stage 5 win as Demi Vollering crashes hard late on

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Crash Chaos Shakes Up Tour De France Femmes

Labous, vas, niewiadoma and more protagonists react to carnage that transforms gc; faulkner moves into second but prioritizes stage wins.

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AMNÉVILLE, France (Velo) – Demi Vollering and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift peloton won’t forget the race’s return to its native land in a hurry.

After avoiding a huge pile-up during four days of Benelux road furniture, a left hand bend after a roundabout outside Amnéville led to carnage at the end of stage 5.

A crash 20 riders from the front of a speeding peloton with 6km to go took down fifteen riders in a tangle of bodies and bikes and changed the course of the 2024 race.

Race leader Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx-Protime) and second-placed Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) both hit the deck. Pieterse was up quickly, despite cuts to her hip, knee, elbow, chin and back, only losing 28 seconds come the finish.

Despite a spirited chase, the wounded Vollering fell to ninth overall after finishing 50th, 1:47 behind new race leader Kasia Niewiadoma. The race’s medical report listed her injuries as “cuts to the left thigh.”

However, Vollering’s teammate Blanka Vas was ahead of the carnage and pipped Niewiadoma to win a select sprint of four on an uphill rise. Talk about bittersweet.

Yellow jersey Vollering found herself riding alone, without team help, until Mischa Bredewold lent a hand, with Wiebes and Vas up the road and apparently unaware.

“My radio was not working, so I didn’t know what happened,” Vas told media in a later press conference. “I just saw nobody was there from the team anymore. I did not know there was a crash.”

Crash on ‘sketchy turn’ breaks up bunch

Despite the crash, Puck Pieterse keeps both the white jersey and the polka dot jersey @LeTourFemmes avec @zwift #FenixDeceuninck #WatchTheFemmes #TDFF2024 #gozwift pic.twitter.com/BExRkmAKyh — Fenix-Deceuninck Cycling Team (@FenixDeceuninck) August 15, 2024

The crash happened in front of Team DSM Firmenich-PostNL leader Juliette Labous. “ “The roundabout was quite sharp and one girl, I think from Canyon, it doesn’t really matter, she did a mistake and took the riders on her wheel out. I saved it luckily, but it was not nice to see,” the French national champion told Velo .

“One rider took a lot of girls out, including my teammate [Pfeiffer Georgi] so I’m a bit sad now, I hope she’s ok,” she said. “It looked like a bad crash and I lost some time on some quite good riders in the GC, so it’s a bit shit. Not really a good day.”

British champion Georgi was one of the worst-affected riders, suffering a right hand injury, while Magdeleine Vallieres-Mill (EF-Oatly-Cannondale) had a concussion. Both were rushed to a hospital in Metz.

Meanwhile, in-race, there was confusion for Labous, getting little feedback in her race radio earpiece. “You don’t know in the moment in the situation, on the radio we had nothing, I think the DSs were not really aware of what happened,” she said.

SD Worx-Protime count cost of ‘shit’ Vollering time loss

Until the final kilometers, it seemed like a fairly straightforward day on the race, with SD Worx controlling the bunch in the last hours and preparing to launch Lorena Wiebes for the sprint.

Then all hell broke loose. SD Worx-Protime team manager Danny Stam says that he didn’t find out Vas was in the front group until the last kilometer as he busied himself with Vollering. “It [her win] makes the day a little bit better, but it’s shit that you lose time, of course,” he told Velo and Cyclingnews .

Did Vas know Vollering was behind and would he have preferred she dropped back? “I don’t think it makes such difference anymore to let the whole group wait, because it’s the last five kilometers,” he said. “We let the riders wait, what was possible, and got the best out of it.”

There is the firm belief from team members that defending champion Vollering can still win the race, but she will have to make up time now.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by SBS Sport (@sbssportau)

“We know the last two days are very hard. First, let’s see how big the damage is to her body and then we need to see where we can find time back,” Stam said.

 “I have faith she can come back. She’s very strong and we will do everything to get back the yellow jersey,” Vas added.

As for Canyon-SRAM’s tactics, driving the pace on the front post-crash, Stam believed it was bike racing: “I don’t know if they noticed really that Demi was in the crash. In the finale, everybody goes for themself, it’s pretty normal.”

Dygert helps deliver Tour de France Femmes yellow jersey

In front, Canyon-SRAM drilled the pace hard in the reduced front group. Making her Tour de France Femmes debut, America’s Chloé Dygert turned herself inside out before the drag into Amnéville to draw out the gap to a larger chasing group.

“This whole week, I’m asking the girls to tell me what to do. And the whole time, Kasia was like ‘go Chloe! go Chloe! go Chloe!’ So I’m just following what I’m supposed to do, I’ve a lot of good guidance,” Dygert said after the race.

Her efforts paid off as Vas, Niewiadoma, Lippert and Faulkner finished 28 seconds up on their nearest GC rivals who were in an 18-strong chasing group, including Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), Gaia Realini (Lidl-Trek) and Labous.

The American was fortunate to avoid being involved in the crash herself. “I almost went down. Honestly, it was really just such a tight turn, we were going into it so fast and I barely stayed up. I think it was a really sketchy turn.”

Second-placed on GC, Faulkner hankers for stage win

Meanwhile, double Olympic gold medalist Kristen Faulker (EF-Oatly-Cannondale) continued her flying form, positioning herself ahead of the crash in the technical finale and moving up to second on GC, 19 seconds behind Niewiadoma.

She came close to a hoped-for Tour de France Femmes stage win with a venomous late attack, tracked by her rivals, which thinned out the group further.

“Canyon-SRAM really drilled it up that last climb until 2km to go, Kasia made an attack and we got on her wheel. I tried to attack and I had a short hesitation which I think cost me from getting the gap,” she said after the race.

However, moving up to second place overall doesn’t change the American’s ambitions as the race moves into its mountainous business end. “We’re still going to go for a stage win tomorrow [on stage 6],” she said.

“Every day I’m asked if I’m going for GC, the answer’s no, we’re going for stages. Walking away with a stage win is more important than walking away top 10 on GC. We don’t know how the mountains will treat my legs, maybe they’ll be great, maybe not.”

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Tour de France Femmes: How Demi Vollering lost lead amid 'huge drama' as Blanka Vas says her radio 'was not working'

Published 15/08/2024 at 17:21 GMT

There was drama on Stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes as race leader Demi Vollering crashed with around 6km to go. Vollering was not helped out by many SD Worx-Protime team-mates and Breakaway expert Dani Rowe was surprised by the tactics. Vollering's team-mate Mischa Bredewold said she had "mixed feelings" about the stage while Blanka Vas said her radio was not working.

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What to Expect From Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s Upcoming Trip to Colombia

The Sussexes will visit schools, lead panels, enjoy performances, and immerse themselves in Colombian culture during the four-day visit

Following an official invitation from Vice President Francia Márquez to tour the nation’s capital, Bogotá , as well as the cities of Cartagena and Cali, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are set for a busy four-day trip.

During their time in the country, the couple will meet with local students, teachers, and industry leaders who make up the vibrant and expansive heritage of the South American country. Their agenda will focus on key aspects of The Archewell Foundation’s priorities and lifelong philanthropic endeavors for the duke and duchess, including highlighting the military community and female empowerment.

Márquez gave a brief overview of what’s to come on the Sussexes’ tour earlier today at an official press conference. Apart from visiting local schools, where the pair will host insight sessions and discuss the importance of digital literacy and mental health with today’s youth, Harper’s Bazaar can confirm the duke and duchess will also get a taste of the arts and true culture of Colombia.

They are expected to attend local performances that celebrate Colombian music, theater, and dance in between other official engagements—such as Harry meeting with the Invictus Games’ Team Colombia.

This week’s tour will mark Meghan and Harry’s first joint trip to the South American country and their third international trip this year, following earlier visits to Canada and Nigeria . Márquez expressed her excitement earlier this month about the Sussexes’s arrival in Colombia, saying, “In these vibrant locations, they will have the exceptional opportunity to engage with leaders, youth, and women who embody the aspirations and voices of Colombians committed to progress.”

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Harper’s Bazaar is on the ground with the Sussexes as they embark on their four-day visit to Colombia. Watch this space for all the exclusive details.

Bianca Betancourt is the culture editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com , where she covers all things film, TV, music, and more. When she's not writing, she loves impulsively baking a batch of cookies, re-listening to the same early-2000s pop playlist, and stalking Mariah Carey's Twitter feed. 

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