Mathieu van der Poel had just built a commanding lead in Hofstade on Monday when an unexpected distraction briefly interrupted his rhythm. As he powered through the eighth lap, a total moron with a vape device aimed a cloud of vapour directly at the Dutch rider. “I have to admit, I was a bit startled,” Van der Poel told reporters after the race. While he has faced similar incidents before, this one was captured on video. The “fan’s” pals were eagerly recording the stunt on their phones.
“It’s hard to tell if it was intentional, but I definitely saw it happen,” Van der Poel said to Sporza. The moment was fleeting, and Van der Poel quickly resumed his focus, going on to take another win.
Another incident for MvdP
Van der Poel went on to explain the surprise of the smoke. “Suddenly, something came right at me, and I had no idea what it was,” he said. “I didn’t even recognize the smell. Yesterday in Koksijde, I did catch a whiff of weed, but this wasn’t that.”
Is het geen bier, urine of speeksel dan is het wel vape rook die wereldkampioen Mathieu van der Poel moet verteren door gefrustreerde “supporters”.. zo soms wens ik deze “supporters” jeuk aan hun anus met net te korte armen..de lul #X2OTrofeeHofstade pic.twitter.com/WJOVcYnJAX
— Ton Heijstek 🇳🇱 (@TonHeijstek1) December 22, 2025
Despite the audacity of the fan, Van der Poel’s reaction was pretty chill. Surprising, given some of the BS he’s dealt with in the past from so-called fans. There’s been, well, a lot of nonsense thrown his way the past few years.
At this year’s Paris-Roubaix, someone threw a full bottle at him. “We can’t let this pass. It was a full bottle, and it hurt a lot. If I take that on my nose, it’s broken,” he said. “This is attempted manslaughter.”
Mathieu van der Poel to retire (from ’cross) after the worlds?
Afterward, the man responsible fessed up. “I wanted to apologize first and foremost to Mathieu van der Poel,” he said. I am so happy that he crossed the finish line first on Sunday—despite my stupid actions. And at the same time, I realize that I have to apologize to every rider or cycling fan.”
Van der Poel seems to attract his share of unruly spectators. During his solo win at the E3 Saxo Classic, a fan spat at him in the closing kilometres. He stayed focused on the road but later shrugged it off, noting that some people simply shouldn’t be at races.
Then there was the 2023 UCI CX World Cup in…
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