PASCAL Eenkhoorn may not have won Stage Seven of the Tour of Britain on Saturday but he certainly won the hearts of fans when he passed a bidon to a young fan who was cycling alongside him.
It was a sight to behold as the youngster was caught by a television helicopter as he accelerated ahead of the five-rider attack. But when he tired and slowed down Eenkhoorn moved across the road and offered him a bidon. The youngster displayed his bike skills by reaching out to collect it without losing his balance.
The boy was later identified as Xander Graham from Edinburgh and was invited as a special guest for the final stage where he got the opportunity to meet Mark Cavendish, Eenkhoorn, and other riders.
Eenkhoorn presented Graham with a Jumbo-Visma jersey and musette, and invited him to join them on the pre-race podium to be presented to the crowd.
“It was amazing to be up close so I really enjoyed it,” said Xander Graham. “I’ve got a lot of messages on social media and a lot of reposts on people’s stories as well.”
Once word got around about the exploits of Graham, it appeared on social media that he had won the silver medal in the British U-12 National Criterium Series in the morning and then gone to see the Tour of Britain.
Eenkhoorn’s gesture of handing the bidon has been seen as a sign of love for the sport and inspiration for future generation although there has been debate about throwing bidons to fans after it was banned by the UCI for safety reasons.
The moment captured the hearts of television viewers, commentators, and many fans. Alex Whitehead of the SXpix photo agency captured that special moment of passing of the bidon.
“That is what cycling is all about, absolutely superb, I’m a bit choked up,” Eurosport and GCN commentator Matt Stephens said. - Agencies, September 13, 2021
