A Belgian cyclist who was recorded crashing his bike into Hasselt mayor Steven Vandeput has gained viral fame in the past month, with more than 3.6 million users flocking to watch the incident on Youtube.
The 8-second video - which dates back to June 2020 - shows the man crashing his bike into the mayor in the middle of an interview. He is then pushed out of the way, only to fall over. According to reports, the man was drunk at the time of the incident.
The resurgence of the video can be linked to a report by the YouTube page "Meme Tycoon", which reported the video with the title NPC [short for non-playable character] - rides his bike into the mayor.
To Vandeput, the whole incident is surprising, but also quite funny. "3.6 million views is a lot," Vandeput reacted with surprise at Radio 2 Limburg. "I have also read the comments under the video, and I must say I find it all quite funny."
Reactions to the video remain divided, with some comparing the cyclist to a failed assasin, while others laugh at the calm reaction of the mayor, who said he only suffered minor injuries.
"I was only left with a bruise," he told local media. "The man clearly did not agree with some decisions I made as mayor. The police then took the man away anyway, because he continued to be difficult even after the collision."
The Brussels Times
