"I've had it with all the booing" - Mathieu van der Poel explains disgusting spit at spectator during Hulst World Cup

Mathieu van der Poel took a dominant victory in Hulst on Saturday afternoon, continuing his dominant form in cyclocross this winter. Post-race though, that wasn't the talking point.

During the last lap, van der Poel was so far ahead he was able to pretty much do what he wanted around the final few corners. With this luxury, the world champion decided to pull to the side of the course, by the fan barriers and crazily spit at a section of spectators.

Understandably, this action was a hot-topic in his post-race interview. “Already during the warm-up they were booing. Then it's better to stay at home. I've had it with all the booing,” he explains, although he doesn't elaborate exactly what was said. “It's better to ask them yourself. I'm not going to repeat that. These were not things that belong in sport, booing is not appropriate for anyone. After a while it was enough, also for me."

"But it's never easy to win. It is always an hour full throttle in a cross,” continues van der Poel, keen to shift focus back to his dominant victory ahead of Joris Nieuwenhuis and Lars van der Haar. “I was in the wheel, but I kept making too many mistakes, because I didn't see the right lines. I went forward to ride at my own pace. It is a succession of tough parts. That climbing part in particular hurts my legs.”