A rider taking part in the Belgian race Schaal Sels (UCI 1.1) today has confirmed that he was blown off the road by a low-flying helicopter.
The 194.7-kilometre race features numerous stretches of both cobbled sections and unpaved sections, and it was on one of the unpaved sections where the incident took place.
In TV footage of the incident, a cloud of dust can be seen blowing across the road prior to British rider Daniel Patten of Team Wiggins getting knocked off his bike by the wind and falling into the grass verge.
He later confirmed what had happened in an Instagram post where he said: “Surviving a helicopter crash, check! ☑”
It’s not the first time this season where a low flying helicopter has caused problems at a race. At the Tour of Croatia in April, riders had to avoid barriers which were blown over by a helicopter in the last few hundred metres of one of the stages.
Patten was listed as DNF in the race with victory going to Wout van Aert of Crelan – Vastgoedservice.
Hey @dfpatten the moment a low flying helicopter blew you off!#schaalsels @OfficialWIGGINS @rapha pic.twitter.com/niFczRFA1U
— Jon Cannings (@jon_cannings) August 28, 2016
