Dutchman Nieuwenhuis sees Iserbyt's bike-stomping incident differently: “It's good for cyclocross”

The stomping incident involving Eli Iserbyt on Ryan Kamp's bike continues to cause outrage. The Belgian eventually received a ban from the UCI, seemingly putting an end to the saga. Some called it a disgrace, others thought it was too harsh a punishment. However, Joris Nieuwenhuis had a slightly different perspective on the incident, which he shared on the podcast.De Schuine Kant'.

The Dutch cyclocross champion watched the infamous incident in disbelief. “I thought a lot about it, about what actually happened there. I think there's more to it than just Eli's outburst of anger at that moment. Even if something like that happens, I don't think that's your first instinct unless there's something else behind it. According to Nieuwenhuis, Iserbyt's decision to step on Kamp's bike was likely due to deeper issues. “If Eli and I had been through the same situation, I don’t think it would have turned out the same way. There was definitely more to it.”

Initially the Belgian only received a fine, but the UCI later imposed a one-week ban on Iserbyt. Nieuwenhuis considered this to be completely justified. “Before this second punishment, I thought about the 100 euro fine. I mean… If you literally just hire someone to destroy someone else's bike at a world championship, it costs a hundred euros,” the Dutchman laughed. “If he had gotten away with it, it would have been absurd. It was disproportionate to the other fines being imposed.”

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To Nieuwenhuis's surprise, sabotage is not regulated in the regulations

The incident prompted Nieuwenhuis to review all the rules, after which the 28-year-old Dutchman concluded that stricter guidelines were needed. “There is nothing concrete in it about sabotaging other people’s equipment. The disciplinary committee can get involved, but there is no set punishment for that.” Nieuwenhuis was quite surprised by this. “There are so many rules – I had to go through a lot of them just to see if anything even covered it. I was surprised that it wasn't there, even though you don't expect something like that to happen.

But Nieuwenhuis also saw a positive side. “This is actually good for cyclocross,” he said surprisingly. “We've kind of missed that in the last few years. Everyone literally remembers the rivalries twenty years ago. I grew up with a cyclocross season that was basically a soap opera all year long. Last year it was just a little milder. “Well, everyone knows straight away that cyclocross is back,” he concluded.