Last weekend at the spring classic Omloop Het Nieuwsblad race in Belgium, local amateur Jaro Spitaels enjoyed the thrill of a lifetime – riding up the world famous cobbled Chapel Wall lined with thousands of fans cheering like he was a WorldTour pro, but in reality it seems he was just a 20 year-old bandit racer jumping in the event.

The rider was Jaro Spitaels (KDM-Pack Cycling Team) who told Het Nieuwsblad. “I was not at all aware that I was on course. It was fantastic to ride up the Wall with all those supporters, but then I remember that I was really on course… I can’t imagine that I would have disrupted the race.”

Photographer Peter Malaise captured the bandit in action, including his pro looking #36 white number plate (who trains with a number plate?), as he climbed the bumpy berg in the middle of a well strung out field. Soon thereafter Spitaels pulled off the course when tailing pros sailed past him.

The race organizer was not amused, calling it a “stunt” and questioning Spitaels youthful claim that it was an accident.

“It is a shame to hear that some people feel called to pull a stunt,” a spokesperson said. “By doing so you not only endanger the safety of the race, but also your own. The fact that the sport is practised on public roads makes the race vulnerable. That is why it is nice that in almost all cases we can count on everyone: signalers, law enforcement, emergency services and the public.”

Photo Credit: Peter Malaise

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