What is wrong with people, is what you may ask when you hear what happened to UAE-Emirates rider, Florian Vermeersch.<\/p>\n
The Belgian recently spoken out after being targeted with a wave of online abuse following the closing moments of Dwars door Vlaanderen. He was understandably floored by the nasty messages.<\/p>\n
In comments on Vive le V\u00e9lo<\/a>, as reported by WielerFlits<\/a>, Vermeersch said he was blown away at all the crap he received after his late effort alongside Filippo Ganna to close down Wout van Aert. Sure, they are both Belgian\u2013but professional cycling, and he\u2019s on another team. Heck, we had the Yates brothers on rival teams, even.<\/p>\n The move ultimately helped bring Van Aert back within reach. But bizarrely, it also drew anger from some fans, with Vermeersch receiving insults and even threats after the race.<\/p>\n \u201cIt shocked me,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019d never experienced anything like that before. For a while, it really got to me more than I expected.\u201d<\/p>\n Vermeersch said that while abuse directed at athletes has become increasingly common, it felt different experiencing it firsthand.<\/p>\n On the bike, the Belgian said he was simply racing for the best possible result. That\u2019s\u2026normal.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was my last chance to win,\u201d he said, and said that a late cramp ended his hopes in the finale.<\/p>\n The hate from cycling \u2018fans\u2019<\/p>\n And he\u2019s right\u2013we\u2019ve seen several instances of nasty, nasty stuff hurled at pros. What looked like a brutal crash on the Cipressa during the women\u2019s Milan-San Remo was one thing, the reaction online was another entirely. While the riders escaped without serious injury, the comment sections turned toxic fast, and it didn\u2019t go unnoticed. C\u00e9cile Lejune admitted she went digging through the replies and came away rattled by what she found.<\/p>\n