Belgian cyclocross champion Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago) was fuming after yesterday’s World Cup race in Kalmthout, Belgium despite his victory, according to sportdome.nl. The blizzard conditions may have suited Nys better than most of his rivals, but it also led to a number of fans throwing snowballs at him as he raced; something that he did not appreciate.
"I had a long chase and was hampered by stragglers who did not get out of the way,” he said, “and the crowd who threw snowballs in my face.”
Despite, or perhaps because of the annoyance, Nys was able to escape his main rivals Zdenek Stybar (Telenet-Fidea) and Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) to take his first World Cup victory of the season.
“I was boiling inside,” he said, “but it made me even more motivated; I had to win."
It is not unusual for fans in Belgium to throw things at riders as they race, although it is usually beer and generally done in a good-natured fashion. It is not always appreciated but generally the riders take it in stride. In an incident in 2005 Nys’ great rival Bart Wellens was disqualified from the Vlaamse Druivenveldrit Overijse and banned for a month after karate kicking a spectator who was allegedly throwing beer at him.