"It's good that attention is being paid to it" - Mathieu van der Poel praises organisers for added crowd control measures

Mathieu van der Poel will take to the Koksijde course on Thursday afternoon. After the controversial spitting incident in Hulst, more measure are in place over the coming weeks for added crowd control.

Speaking pre-race, van der Poel is asked if he's seen any potentially aggressive spectators in Koksijde. “No, but that is always very limited. And shouting – which I also do not condone – is of course also different from throwing things. It's not that bad, but it's good that attention is being paid to it," he answers to Wielerflits. "It's not just me, there are other riders who have complained about it. It's good that there is some control.”

With van der Poel being renowned as a sand expert, is the Dutchman expecting another comfortable victory this campaign in Koksijde? “It is not too heavy, but it is more fun if the sand is crucial, and not the intermediate sections that are now more muddy,” says van der Poel who actually lost at last year's edition to Wout van Aert.

"The back that no longer plays tricks on me. And yet perhaps Wout is a bit worse than last year because he opts for a different approach, which is also understandable. It will be a combination of those two things,” he analyses of the differences between then and now. “You don't need a plan here. It's so difficult here. Normally you could recover a little between the sand sections, but the rain also stopped that, which makes it a very difficult race.”