Tim Merlier caught the attention of spectators and organizers at Wednesday's Scheldeprijs, but it wasn't for his sprint, a little more than three minutes after crossing the muddy finish line in Schoten in ninth place, as he sped toward the finish in a group of nine riders, He was seen by broadcast cameras and course-side fans as he pedaled slowly in the opposite direction on the course.

The Alpecin Phoenix rider lifted his bike over a barricade with about 250 meters to go and escaped from the pack.

He later apologized on social media, stating. 'When I crossed the finish line to get back to the team parking lot I sincerely thought all the riders had arrived. It was never my intention to endanger anyone."

"This should never have happened," former pro Jose de Cowher said of the situation in a Sporza report. The media outlet reported that the race jury fined Mellier 200 euros for the dangerous move while the playing field was still in effect.

Minutes earlier, most cameras had focused on Mélié as he and teammate Jasper Philipsen completed the Flanders Classics. They finished eighth and ninth, 28 seconds behind Kristoff and ahead of the other four contenders for the podium.

In a statement provided to Cycling News, a representative of Alpecin Phoenix offered, "He wanted to return to the team bus and honestly thought all the riders had already crossed the finish line."

However, behind Merlier's group were 16 riders who would finish between 3:32 and 6:23 behind the winning pace. Of the 136 riders at the start line, only 30 completed the 198.7 km midweek Pro Series race.

The video of the maneuver was viewed more than 24,000 times just two hours after the race.