- Cyclist Lars van der Haar used his bike saddle to forcefully reset his dislocated
- The Dutchman crashed on the fifth lap of the Superprestige Gullegem Cross
- TV footage of the event in Belgium captured the 33-year-old reseting his joint
Cycling star Lars van der Haar shocked spectators by using his bike saddle to forcefully reset his dislocated shoulder during the Superprestige Gullegem Cross.
The Dutchman endured a brutal crash on the fifth lap of the muddy 2600m cyclocross race on Saturday afternoon but managed to continue.
TV footage of the event in Belgium captured the 33-year-old cyclist crouched beside his bike, extending his right arm over the top tube.
Initially seen struggling to move his injured limb, he then rested it against his saddle, using his body weight to thrust downward and snap the joint back into place.
The dramatic and painful manoeuvre stunned commentators, with one Eurosport announcer exclaiming, ‘Did he just pop his shoulder back in?’.
Meanwhile, other riders pushed on, carrying their bikes through the muddy terrain as Van der Haar worked to fix his injury on the course’s edge.
Cycling star Lars van der Haar shocked spectators by using his bike saddle to forcefully reset his dislocated shoulder during the Superprestige Gullegem Cross
The Dutchman endured a brutal crash on the fifth lap of the muddy 2600m cyclocross race on Saturday afternoon but managed to continue
Remarkably, the entire procedure took the cyclocross veteran just 10 seconds – with onlookers horrified and impressed at the same time.
Though he had been racing among the top five, the crash and shoulder reset caused him to lose precious time, eventually finishing 10th.
Series leader Niels Vandeputte gained further ground, while Wout van Aert held off Eli Iserbyt to secure his first victory of the season.
After the grueling hour-long race, Van der Haar reflected on his rough day, saying: ‘It took a really long time to get it back in. I also crashed, so it really wasn’t my day.’
This isn’t the first time Van der Haar has used his bike to realign his shoulder during a race. A similar incident occurred last season at the Superprestige Niel.
Fans online were in awe of his resilience, with one commenting, ‘He’s definitely done this before.’ Another remarked, ‘It hurts like hell, but when it’s in place, the pain is gone.’
A third added, ‘Honestly can’t get my head around what I’ve just watched. That was impressive and scary at the same time. Fair play to him.’
Others simply wrote: ‘That’s real determination right there. Sport simply is the best isn’t it. Can’t quite believe it.’
Some couldn’t help but compare the courage of cyclocross athletes to footballers, with one fan joking, ‘They should make overpaid footballers, diving around like they’ve been hit by snipers, watch this!’.