With all Covid-19 restrictions currently in place, cyclist fan Maarten van de Velde realized he had to get creative to be able to watch Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert battle for the win at the World Championship Cyclocross. Even though the Northsea of Belgium is an unpleasant five degrees, Van de Velde, a “surf-photographer” and cycling enthusiast, pulled on his wetsuit and took a plunge to get “front row” seat for the race. It was the only way to get close to the action as no spectators were allowed at the event.
While Van der Poel’s epic win went viral, so did Van de Velde’s exploits. He was spotted in the water just 10 m away from the cyclsts. Some people wondered whether they were seeing a seal with an interest in cycling, but once Van de Velde shared a photo on his Instagram page the mystery was solved.
While the police were informed about the man in the water, they were unable to do anything as they would have had to cross the racecourse.
