Your pals at Canadian Cycling Magazine post lots of content about lousy drivers, but every now and then we gotta switch it up.<\/p>\n
A cyclist once branded \u201cthe most hated in the world\u201d after a viral video appeared to show him knocking over a young girl on a snowy trail on Christmas Day in 2020 has lost a lengthy court battle. but he still insists he did nothing wrong.<\/p>\n
Worse, he didn\u2019t even check to see if the girl was OK (thankfully she was.) After years of not knowing who this absolute winner was, he\u2019s finally been \u201cunmasked,\u201d as reported by the oh-so venerable and very serious British outlet, Daily Mail.<\/a><\/p>\n The original lawsuit<\/p>\n Belgian cyclist Jacques Davenne had originally sued the girl\u2019s father, Patrick Mpasa, for defamation after Mpasa posted the footage online. Davenne argued the video violated his privacy and unleashed a wave of online outrage that left him feeling unsafe and afraid to leave his home. \u201cI did nothing wrong\u2026 I rang my bell several times,\u201d Davenne, who happens to be a president of a local cycling club, said.<\/p>\n At first, a court ruled in the cyclist\u2019s favour and ordered the family to pay around seven grand Canadian in compensation. But after a three-year legal fight, an appeals court in Li\u00e8ge overturned that decision this week, siding with the girl\u2019s parents and ruling that publishing the footage fell under freedom of expression.<\/p>\n The video<\/p>\n In an interview Davenne said he was still irked about the decision and is considering further legal action.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m upset the case went against me as I still feel I did nothing wrong,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m going to have a meeting with my lawyer to see if we can take it further.\u201d<\/p>\n He insisted the real issue was the video being shared online. \u201cMy image being posted online, that wasn\u2019t fair and social media can be a huge problem. He had no right to do that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u2018On your left\u2019 is cycling\u2019s worst habit<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n The footage shows the dude emerging from a bend near Verviers, Belgium. Then, he collides with the girl, sending her tumbling into the snow. The clip quickly spread around the world after being posted to Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n Davenne claims the collision was accidental. \u201cI was cycling along the track very gently,\u201d he said. \u201cI rang my bell several times, but they obviously didn\u2019t hear me. As I passed, I slipped and lost my balance slightly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo avoid falling, I put my leg out to balance myself,\u201d he added. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize I had hit her and that she had fallen over.\u201d<\/p>\n