Paris 2024 Olympics - Track Cycling - Men's Madison, Final - Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome, Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France - August 10, 2024: Oliver Wood of Britain and Mark Stewart of Britain in action.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Saint Quentin-En-Yvelines: The Netherlands were disqualified from the Olympic track cycling Madison after an incident which left British rider Oliver Wood saying he felt like a "crash test dummy" on Saturday.
Judges ruled late on Saturday that Jan-Willem van Schip had endangered another rider and therefore the Dutch, who finished outside the medals, were excluded.
Van Schip was also fined 1,000 Swiss francs.
Wood and team mate Mark Stewart were struggling to make much impression on the 200-lap race but any hopes they had of a late charge were all but wiped out when Wood, who was the inactive rider at the time in the relay-style race, hit the deck.
Television replays showed Van Schip coming alongside Wood and then appearing to thrust his head to one side to make contact with the British rider's helmet, sending him crashing down.
Wood was allowed to continue after being checked over by medics but their race was already run.
"I have no clue, absolutely no clue," Woods told British media when asked how the incident had happened.
"All I know is I got hit really hard from behind by literally the biggest rider on the track.
"He hit me so hard. I felt like a crash test dummy. I was totally relaxed, untensed on the bike. I am alright. I will live to fight another day. It's not my first crash.
"It's just a bit different when you get hit from behind, you don't see it coming."
British track great Chris Hoy, commentating for the BBC, said it was the Dutchman's fault entirely.
"You are trying to skim past the rider and not go too far on the bend but he misjudged it," he said. "He absolutely whacked him on the head."
It was the second incident involving British and Dutch riders in two days after Jack Carlin took the bronze medal in the men's sprint following a controversial decider against Jeffrey Hoogland.
Carlin was accused by Dutch coach Mehdi Kordi of "rugby on wheels" after the Briton avoided being disqualified for a dangerous move in his race against Hoogland.