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Keystone
A good two weeks after the crash with Nino Schurter, mountain biker Mathias Flückiger once again commented on what happened during and especially after the race in Lenzerheide.
Ironically, in the home race in Lenzerheide a good two weeks ago, the two Swiss mountain bike figureheads Mathias Flückiger and Nino Schurter clashed. The two fight a spectacular duel for victory, which ends abruptly shortly before the finish.
A fatal incident occurs in the enchanted forest and away from the cameras. “He wanted to overtake me at a point where it just wasn’t possible and shot me down. It’s just sad,” Schurter said. “Most likely he was frustrated.” Flückiger ended up in 3rd place, Schurter in 4th place.
Flückiger had a different view of things shortly after the race and defended himself. “I’m sorry that happened. But you have to see: It’s a race, man against man, everyone wants to win.” He also refers to some past duels and risky maneuvers by his opponent. “Nino taught me something: how to overtake and how cheeky you can drive.”
A racing accident without intention
Flückiger publishes with some distance on Tuesday on its own website a message, in which he again comments on the incident. “What hurt me, in addition to the missed victory, was that I was accused of intention, frustration, bad character and much more. Anyone who has ever raced or can put themselves in the situation of a biker knows: you have to make decisions in fractions of a second, intuitively,” writes Flückiger. He would never intentionally cause a fall.
The 33-year-old still stands by the statements made immediately after the race. “I had honestly communicated what it was like, what I felt, thought and how I classified this accident. I also said I’m sorry the crash happened.”
Frustration, aggression and hate on the internet
What Flückiger is probably even more concerned about in the past few days happens after the rencontre with Schurter. “What happened after that got me thinking. I was shocked by how many people online are fueling frustration, aggression, anger and hatred – and all this just because of a fall of two mountain bikers. For the first time I have personally experienced how anger, frustration or even hatred is expressed online.»
Some people have an irrepressible urge to finish someone off, Flückiger continues. “An elephant is made out of a mosquito and this is done without any decency.” Thanks to his environment, he was still able to concentrate on the sport. Flückiger emphasizes: “This statement still concerns and worries me today. Because it’s something that affects all of us, our whole society.”