Eddy Lissens, a former Belgian police officer, was riding his bike inside the race on Sunday as a race judge for the 2020 Tour de Flanders. When road race world champion Julien Alaphilippe (one of a decisive three-man breakaway group) crashed into him, resulting in the Frenchman leaving the race with injuries, suddenly everyone knew Eddy's name.

"The breakaway group had built up a lead of over 20 seconds, so I decided to take a position behind the breakaway group with my Shimano (Neutral Service) bike," Lisens said.

"I dropped back. The TV station bikes were doing so on the left side of the road, so we chose the right side," he continued. 'Anyone who says that has never ridden in a race.'

Patrick Lefebvre, the boss of Alaphilippe's Detunink Quickstep, was one such person, who told Sporza that the bikes "had no business" on the right side of the road, and since the road turns right, the riders always take the shortest route through the top of the curve He said that they should have been on the outside, i.e., the left side of the road, because the road turns to the right.

"I didn't do anything different," Lisens told Het Laatste Nieuws. This kind of thing happens a hundred times during a race. This was an unfortunate moment."

Nevertheless, the 64-year-old from Leuven, near Brussels, added: "I've been doing this for 20 years and this has never happened before.

From the television footage, it appeared that Alaphilippe had raised his left arm to speak on the team radio just before he crashed into the bike. This means that he probably also tilted his head to the left to speak into the microphone and did not see first Wout Van Art (Jumbo-Visma) and then Mathieu Van Der Pol (Alpecin Phoenix), who flicked left to avoid Lisens' slowing "moto" This would be the case. This theory appears to be correct.

"I remember afterwards Alaphilippe was talking into the microphone and could no longer avoid me," Lisens said. 'I felt sorry for Alaphilippe. His injury was bad, but he also had a chance to win the Tour of Flanders.

According to Belgian media, Alaphilippe was diagnosed with two broken fingers after the accident and will undergo surgery on Monday.

"It affected me very deeply," he said. I feel guilty, even though there is nothing I can do."

In addition to apologizing on the spot to Alaphilippe and sporting director Wilfried Peters, Lisens said he also spoke with a representative of Detunink Quickstep after the race.

"I spoke to someone from the team, and it was a positive conversation. 'I can't say more and won't. I hope things work out with Alaphilippe soon."