Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at 8:29 AM
Not everyone was happy with Mathieu van der Poel’s dominance in the Tour of Flanders: several spectators threw beer at the world champion on the Oude Kwaremont. Organizer Flanders Classics wants to file civil proceedings, CEO Tomas Van den Spiegel previously announced. Adrie van der Poel thinks that a hefty fine could help.
“I understand that the police are now looking for the perpetrators. But should you punish them? I will leave that open,” said Mathieu van der Poel’s father in conversation with The last news. “I also hear that Flanders Classics is filing civil proceedings. That’s how they make their point. I think we need to be quick on the ball. A hefty fine might hurt some.”
The unsportsmanlike behavior does not surprise Adrie van der Poel. He points out that some spectators hung out in the VIP tent all day and drank ‘way too much’. “It’s disrespectful. I don’t think these people realize what other riders have to do to achieve top performance. Not everyone has to be a fan of Mathieu. Then I would say: turn around and don’t clap.”
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However, Adrie emphasizes that, according to him, ‘99.5 percent of the audience present’ does come for the sport itself. “Mathieu must have also heard that there was a huge amount of encouragement. I think that’s nice.”
According to Adrie, there are currently some top riders who have raised the level of cycling to such a high level that they attract sponsors to the sport. “It would be a shame if sponsors dropped out because of the behavior some showed on Sunday. Cycling is an accessible sport and we should keep it that way. We should not turn a blind eye to the few people who throw beer. I also don’t think they take anything away from Mathieu’s joy that he won this Tour of Flanders.”
