Former Belgian champion Jens Debusschere (B&B Hotels - Vital Concepts) stole the spotlight on Sunday afternoon.

Seventy kilometers from the finish, just before the climb up the Côte de Trieux, the peloton was on a narrow road. There was not much room to move, and some riders suddenly hit the ground, while others tumbled into ditches. Riders got up and tried to find their bikes.

This is typical of Flanders One-Day Races during the spring classic season, but this time it was a little different. Suddenly Gianni Moscon (Ineos) picked up his bike, threw it into the gutter, and hit Jens Debusschere.

The incident was filmed live on television, and minutes later the UCI Commissaires disqualified Moscon.

Debusschere, the 2014 Belgian champion, spoke to Cycling News about the incident while standing next to the Kuhne team bus. He had scratches and cuts on his hands and wrists. 'I didn't know how big the wounds were because I was bleeding so much during the race. They look fine now and will be gone in a day or two," Debusschere said, then went on to describe what happened from his perspective.

"I didn't crash, but I rolled into a ditch and when I tried to crawl out of it, a motorcycle that wasn't mine hit me directly in the head. I had to put my hands up to protect myself from getting hit in the face. The bike hit me with a chain wheel. At that moment I could have hit him. I was full of adrenaline, but then I realized the best thing I could do was to get back on the bike. It was frustrating, but my reflex should be to get back on the bike as quickly as possible so I could rejoin the pack. There is not much time to waste in a race like this."

Debusschere could not understand Moscon's actions. [This is Flanders. This is typical. 'You have to concentrate from the beginning to the end. It's a nerve-wracking race and sometimes you have to stop and brake. The Courne Brussel-Coone is an important point on the course. We sprinted towards the foot of the Côte de Trieux, recovered in Trieux and sprinted again towards Aude Quaremont. At that point, nothing was lost by getting on the bike and going. His reaction was unnecessary."

It is clear that Debusschere and the race commissaires found Moscon's actions unacceptable. He stated, "I recently spoke with the UCI Commissaire, who stressed that if he saw a rider endangering himself, his colleagues, or spectators, he would remove that rider from the race. This was an inappropriate incident against his colleague," Debusschere said.

This is not the first time Moscon has acted unappreciated by his colleagues. He was banned for punching Elie Jezbert at the 2018 Tour de France, and in 2017 he launched a racist tirade against Kevin Reza at the Tour de Romandie. He was also accused of intentionally crashing Reza's teammate Sebastian Reichenbach and breaking his hip and elbow at the 2017 Tre Valli Varesine, but was later cleared for lack of evidence.

Debusschere explained that he was not a big fan of Moscon and that the incident did not change his opinion. He said, "In a series of incidents, the culprit is always the same. Now it's being magnified, but I don't really care that he was sanctioned," Debusschere said. 'It's not just this case, there are many others. If you ask people in the peloton about their relationship with him, 90% of them will react negatively."

"Obviously, there is more respect in the peloton for the riders of the major teams. We give them space. The same is true if the quickstep passes, and the ineos also pass. That doesn't mean you have to push. There is a big difference when compared to someone like Luke Lowe, who is always polite in the peloton. In Moscon's case, it's completely different. His character and that will not change anymore."