Belgian cyclocross coach Rudy de Bie has apologised for comments where he called a former national champion a "hobby cyclocrosser".
De Bie said earlier this week that he would rather have an empty slot in his team for the Cyclocross World Championships than pick Loes Sels, a self-funded rider with two children.
"I’m am ready to defend any choice,” he said. “But take Loes Sels, mother of two and hobby cyclocrosser? Should it be that the federation sponsors her hobby?"
>>> Nikki Brammeier and Ian Field lead British team at Cyclocross World Championships
Sels, who was Belgian national champion in 2007 and 2009, and is currently ranked 20th in the world and 7th in Belgium, responded to De Bie's comments in Het Nieuwsblad, saying that having to fund her own racing shows seriously she takes the sport.
"I train hard, I live for cross and perform," Sels said.
"Earlier this year I spent ten days to the United States for the World Cup. That cost me and my partner €4,000, which was a bad investment. With that money we could do something else, but I take my sport seriously and so had to be there."
>>> UCI increases women's race distances as standard of peloton improves
However De Bie has now apologised for his comments, awarding the fifth and final place in the squad to Sels.
"I want to apologize for my unfortunate statement last week," he said. "Especially toward Loes, but also to all the other women in the same situation who practice their sport to the best of their ability."
-
-
'If you can achieve something like this, then other things in life can seem quite easy': Local hero outlines the joy of ultra-endurance events
From Cumbria’s highest passes to motorway McDonalds stops - video showcases the rollercoaster reality of a 60-hour ride in all its unglamorous glory
-
Record rides: Tommy Godwin’s 75,065 miles in a year
vans Perhaps one of the most incredible records ever set on two wheels retold by Dave Barter.
-
Mathieu van der Poel delays cyclocross season start again due to knee injury
The cyclocross world champion crashed on a training ride and only returned to training last week
-
Tom Pidcock on Val di Sole snow: 'A good start to get cyclocross towards the Winter Olympics'
The Brit finished third in picturesque scenes in Italy
-
Wout van Aert wins snowy cyclocross in Val di Sole, Pidcock third, while Vos crashes in finale of women's race
Fem van Empel narrowly bested Marianne Vos in the women's event
-
Zoe Bäckstedt takes first senior cyclocross victory in Essen
The 17-year-old wins by more than a minute in Belgium
-
Knee injury delays cyclocross preparation for Mathieu van der Poel, according to report
The cyclocross world champion is currently set to return to racing on December 18
-
The next cyclocross World Cup event will take place on snow as part of Winter Olympic bid
Organisers in Val di Sole have deliberately maintained the snow to show that cyclocross could be classed as an event for the Winter Olympics
-
'What he did today is enormous': rivals react to Wout van Aert's victorious return to cyclocross
The Belgian star came out on top in his first race of the cyclocross season after having time off the bike
-
'You feel like a numpty every time you do your first race of the year,' Pidcock pleased with first cyclocross race back
The Brit finished seventh, close to the podium spots but a long way off winner Wout van Aert who romped to victory
