Mathieu van der Poel won the X2O-cross of Loenhout on Monday, but experienced a precarious moment in the opening lap. He came into contact with a spectator, who was subsequently taken away by the police for questioning. New footage that has since surfaced, however, suggests that the man in question acted unintentionally.
In footage from the crowd that appeared later, it can be seen that the supporter has been cheering on the racers the whole time, at the moment Van der Poel passes by. He seems to accidentally hit the world champion, causing him to almost lose his balance. Van der Poel, however, escaped with just a fright and was able to continue on his way.
The spectator has since spoken out. In a response to Sporza, he offers his apologies. "I really have nothing against Mathieu van der Poel. I feel so guilty. This was absolutely not my intention. I love cyclocross very much, so this is the last thing I wanted to happen. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Mathieu once again."
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The Dutchman had not yet seen the footage when asked about the incident, but the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader does not believe there was any ill intent. “I think the man was just supporting,” he said afterward in the flash interview with Sporza.
"I was quite lucky. I could barely keep upright, and that on a stretch where it was really fast. I just don’t feel it was an action with bad intentions. As is often the case, the spectators are incredibly enthusiastic, but sometimes they forget that riders are coming. You also need a bit of luck with these kinds of things. If someone bumps into your handlebars, it can go any way."
