Teams & Riders The "MVP" Mathieu Van der Poel Road Discussion Thread

[DNP-Old]

Ban him for a year. First time watching CX I presume?

 

[Salvarani]

Ban him for a year. First time watching CX I presume?

No way, lol.

Ratings will only go up from this.

MVDP vs drunk Belgian fans… I know who I want to win.

 

[Volderke]

Think it's a lot more telling what someone does when angry than in generic fan interactions with people who will tell you your farts smell like perfume.

And that’s exactly what I’m saying: mvdp is far from perfect. I could say more but I’m not in a position to criticize. Not that I’ve ever spat on someone but I’m not perfect either. Last I heard is that those ‘fans’ could have thrown urine, and while that’s only rumour at this point, it wouldn’t surprise me and I fear for you that 99% of people would show what you mentioned as “telling”, in this kind of situation.

 

[Froome]

idk chief, i disagree

they came off lightly imo

If that is true, then van der poel was very benevolent.

 

[Sciatic]

Maybe you try to leave out your fandom.
You seem to demand that pro sporters are any better human beings as you would like them to be. Well, they are not. They have better legs (cyclists), better ball control (football players) etcetera. But they aren't perfect in other aspects of their personality. It showed here, but to crucify them for this...

The thing about spitting is that it’s highly demeaning and meant to show disgust. People spit on the ground or in the gutter, and that’s the message conveyed. Ironically, Throwing a punch is, of course, assault, but does not convey the same level of disgust and superiority. I’m not condoning punching, but if I were at the race I would rather get punched by a cyclist than spit on.

 

[Sciatic]

Maybe you try to leave out your fandom.
You seem to demand that pro sporters are any better human beings as you would like them to be. Well, they are not. They have better legs (cyclists), better ball control (football players) etcetera. But they aren't perfect in other aspects of their personality. It showed here, but to crucify them for this...

They may not be better human beings, but they are professionals and employees. Any of us who work as professionals would face severe consequences and perhaps firing if we spit on someone yelling at us from the street below.

 

[Rackham]

Well, it seems you'll be happy to see him banned! That's at least one person.

You expect your sports heroes to be holier-than-thou infallible demi-gods who never display any sort of reaction when they're insulted or assaulted. MVDP is not that type of person, that's what makes him endearing to a lot of people. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. If a couple of annoying Aussie teenagers are knocking on his hotel room door in the middle of the night, he'll let them know what he thinks of them. If a couple of drunk Belgians insult him and throw beer on him, he'll answer in kind.

edit: apparently they were even throwing urine on him. I think MVDP deserves applause for not stopping and taking a p.ss in their faces.

The urine stuff is just twitter talk. There's no evidence. I mean of course the fanboy defense force will believe it (& the rider himself will do anything to make himself look better) but the only evidence we have is of a millionaire sportsman spitting on people.

And no, there's a huge difference between someone 'reacting to abuse' & actually literally spitting on a bunch of people. That's not "wearing emotions on his sleeve", it's being a disgusting slob.

I'm surprised he hasn't apologized yet. I'd be even more amazed if he gets away with it.

 

[Tim Cahill]

VDP said in his interview they were booing him, didn't hear anything about urine throwing

If they were though it was deserved

 

[CyclistAbi]

I feel that Mathieu should apologize, if true that the fans were spiting at him and threw urine in him, then they deserved it.

 

[Froome]

Maybe you try to leave out your fandom.
You seem to demand that pro sporters are any better human beings as you would like them to be. Well, they are not. They have better legs (cyclists), better ball control (football players) etcetera. But they aren't perfect in other aspects of their personality. It showed here, but to crucify them for this...

They are like us, mere mortals. They have emotions and they are not perfect.

 

[Froome]

idk chief, i disagree

they came off lightly imo

I like the detail "those belgian fans" 😂

 

[Lequack]

Can this top the chasing of teenagers in the hotel at the Olympics?
Also as a fan, would you rather get spat on, or slapped around Superman Lopez style?

 

[CyclistAbi]

I like how he handled those underage girls. If he would be a wheezle, he would just let them in. So i do believe he was likely provoked severely. Still he should apologize. But as for handling the mob, twice now, he is the rightful sheriff in town.

 

[Berniece]

The low self esteem Flemish people show their true colours again. In football you would get fined and banned when you do such a thing, at CX you can do it again next race

 

[Ilmaestro99]

If I was a drunk WVA fan I would now be even more motivated than ever to throw beer at MVDP and try and get him in even more trouble. I would really try and wind him up.

Ok if somebody threw Urine, then a spit in return is justified but spitting because you get booed is a serious head loss.

 

[Froome]

Can this top the chasing of teenagers in the hotel at the Olympics?
Also as a fan, would you rather get spat on, or slapped around Superman Lopez style?

Slapped is better, because it's less dirty.

 

[Lequack]

 

[Rackham]

If Gianni Moscon had done this, the condemnation would have been pretty much unanimous. But the fact he's such a popular rider & current world champ makes this all... more depressing. As is the attempts by some to handwave the incident or even excuse it.

It was gross & in some such cases in other sports (Jamie Carragher among others), there were consequences.

Ban him for a year. First time watching CX I presume?

Is spitting on spectators commonplace in CX?

IMO as far as racing incidents in pro cycling are concerned I think this one is one of the most cut & dry slam-dunks we'll get.

He screwed up. End of story.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Udder?

 

[Poursuivant]

If Gianni Moscon had done this, the condemnation would have been pretty much unanimous. But the fact he's such a popular rider & current world champ makes this all... more depressing. As is the attempts by some to handwave the incident or even excuse it.

It was gross & in some such cases in other sports (Jamie Carragher among others), there were consequences.



Is spitting on spectators commonplace in CX?

IMO as far as racing incidents in pro cycling are concerned I think this one is one of the most cut & dry slam-dunks we'll get.

He screwed up. End of story.

Twitter is great for the double standards on this: Froome swings an arm after having people boo him and throw urine on him: “scum, throw him off the TDF”

MVDP spits on fans: “good for him, them fans deserved it.”

 

[Ilmaestro99]

The low self esteem Flemish people show their true colours again. In football you would get fined and banned when you do such a thing, at CX you can do it again next race

Van Der Peol is not Flemmish

 

[CyclistAbi]

He screwed up. End of story.

Either way he should in my opinion apologize. On what provoked it, that should in my opinion be cleared up too.

 

[Berniece]

Van Der Peol is not Flemmish

I know, the people booing him are

 

[Volderke]

If Gianni Moscon had done this, the condemnation would have been pretty much unanimous. But the fact he's such a popular rider & current world champ makes this all... more depressing. As is the attempts by some to handwave the incident or even excuse it.

There you say it: it wasn't Moscon who was unsolicited talking racist. It was MvdP who has to endure throwing beer / urine / bottles / spitting and people boo-ing at him throughout the season. He isn't an ape in a circus (those are better protected by the internet mob when they would get aggressive for being harassed).
MvdP brings you entertainment every week and we should all take a stance against those 'fans' who have no place in cycling.

Is spitting on spectators commonplace in CX?

Spitting is not commonplace, but if it happens, it is 99.9% of the cases 'fans' spitting on riders. It's one of the reasons I don't attend CX that much, anymore: the idiots, agressive drunk people who ruin it for everybody. It doesn't happen all the time, but when it happens, it turns the fans off.

IMO as far as racing incidents in pro cycling are concerned I think this one is one of the most cut & dry slam-dunks we'll get.

He screwed up. End of story.

He screwed up, he shouldn't have spat. But as said, he is human, he isn't perfect, and you are 100% ignoring the root of the problem: cycling hooligans.

 

[CyclistAbi]

God i love cycling.