Mathieu van der Poel on much-discussed spitting incident: "My reaction is only human, I think"

Mathieu van der Poel reflected briefly on the events in Hulst from two days ago, before the start of the New Year's cross in Baal. The Alpecin-Deceuninck Dutchman is the first to admit that it was not smart to spit at those annoying supporters, but at the same time states that such behaviors should also stop.

In Hulst, Van der Poel was subjected to booing throughout the cyclo-cross race (including during warm-up) and also had several glasses of beer (and even urine?) thrown at him. In the final round of the race, the Dutchman spat at some of the perpetrators, for which the UCI gave him a fine of 250 Swiss francs. After the cyclo-cross in Hulst, he stated that he "had had enough" of such behavior, although he obviously realized that his actions would cause a stir.

So what does he think about the situation two days later? "I don't regret it. I knew in advance, of course, that it was not the best way to solve something like that and that it would also be captured on camera. I also don't think that I should just let everything happen, even if I know handling it like that wasn't the smartest way. It certainly won't solve the problem, but doing nothing won't solve it either. My reaction is only human, I think."

Van der Poel happy to be back in Baal

On New Year's Day, he is in the field again with renewed optimism. "I had an okay New Year's Eve celebration, I went out for a nice meal with some friends. That also includes a glass of alcohol. I had decided to just celebrate New Year's, because it can't be all work and no play."

The day after, he is ready to race once again. "I am quite happy about that. I haven't raced in Baal for a long time, but I felt that this was a good moment to ride here again," concludes the Alpecin-Deceuninck cycling star, well two hours before the cyclo-cross race in Baal.