Cyclist Mathieu van der Poel was not warmly received by the public everywhere during the Tour of Flanders. During the last climb of the Oude Kwaremont, the leader was shot in the head by some spectators. And in addition to a lot of boos, there was also spit at his head. The police are now looking for the perpetrators.
Once the beer throwers are known, the organizer of the cycling race goes to court. A spokesperson told the Belgian newspaper HLN. The beer throwing and spitting was captured on video. That could make it easier to catch the perpetrators.
‘Behaviour is unacceptable’
The police of the Flemish Ardennes are actively looking for the suspects. The police emphasize that they mainly want to send a signal that this behavior is ‘really unacceptable’. The organizer of the race fully agrees: “In this way, the party that the Tour should be is ruined.”
Matthieu van der Poel himself tells the Belgian sports channel Sporza that he did not notice much of everything flying around his ears. “I was actually so focused on my effort that it didn’t really bother me much,” the cyclist said.
Van der Poel himself spat
Last December it was Van der Poel himself who spat. During the last round of cyclo-cross in Hulst, Zeeland, the cyclist spat in the audience. The 28-year-old world champion did this because he was annoyed by the constant booing from a group of spectators.
During the match in Hulst, the audience also allegedly threw beer and urine over Van der Poel.
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