Adrie van der Poel's request to cyclocross fans after Hulst incident: "If you don't have the discipline to stop after two beers, stay home"
Cyclocross
In the past, riders such as Bart Wellens, Richard Groenendaal and Sven Nys have had spats with fans who criticize and boo them throughout races. This Saturday it was Mathieu van der Poel who was involved in one, spitting on a fan who also reportedly threw beer and urine to him. Adrie van der Poel asks that that the audience control their behaviour to prevent such situations.
"It indicates the level of people we are dealing with here. Look, it's simple. If you don't have the discipline to stop after two beers, stay home. And watch the race from the comfort of your own home," the father of Mathieu van der Poel said in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws. “Personally, I have never been confronted with it. But over the years the phenomenon has apparently reared its head more and more.”
Specially in recent years, the rivalry between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert sparked more and more sharp opinions from fans. Being the main figures of the Netherlands and Belgium respectively, national interests also rise to the head of some spectators, who quite audibly boo one of the riders - although the Dutchman has been a bigger victim of this. Unfortunately, throwing beer or urine is also not an isolated case in cycling, as some spectators take advantage of the proximity they have with riders.
“When you see how Tom [Pidcock] and Wout [van Aert] continue to fight here after their bad luck... In the same way, they say: Fuck, just look at it. But no, they give the best of themselves. Then you have to respect that, I think," Adrie argues.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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Hulst was one of those very rare races with 🇳🇱 Mathieu van der Poel, 🇧🇪 Wout van Aert and 🇬🇧 Tom Pidcock and only 1 on the podium. Had been a while. - Hulst 2023 - Hoogerheide 2020, season after Wout's leg injury - Diegem 2018 - Lokeren 2018, twisted ankle MVDP (won by Soete)
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