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

[Oldman]

The one thing I still find hard to believe is the absolute abuse Mathieu is exposed to. The a*shole that threw a full water bottle into his face....what fan base is that aggressive? Cyclocross fans are usually local drunks and upset the local lads are getting schooled. It does seem like it happens in Belgian races when he gets fluids thrown on him. But Paris Roubaix? Every fan has to appreciate the pain to endure that many hours of painful work. Just don't get it.

 

[Cycling111]

The one thing I still find hard to believe is the absolute abuse Mathieu is exposed to. The a*shole that threw a full water bottle into his face....what fan base is that aggressive? Cyclocross fans are usually local drunks and upset the local lads are getting schooled. It does seem like it happens in Belgian races when he gets fluids thrown on him. But Paris Roubaix? Every fan has to appreciate the pain to endure that many hours of painful work. Just don't get it.

During the Tour de France, they´ve ever thrown urine to the riders.

 

[Oldman]

During the Tour de France, they´ve ever thrown urine to the riders.

Yes and I think the only appropriate penalty for that is: the offender must be accompanied by the local gendarmes to the drug-testing protocol. There that offender can receive what he had thrown by each and every rider tested.

 

[Spine Concept]

Here's a list of abuses MVP has been subjected to throughout his career. It's either in races on French or Belgian soil with the exception of the CX WC in Denmark and a CX race in the Netherlands. There's an obvious pattern here. It's always Belgian fans doing this to him. Even in Denmark and the Netherlands it was still Belgian fans.

Disgusting, sickening, unacceptable behavior.

Date	Race/Event	Location	Description of Abuse
February 3, 2019	UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships	Bogense, Denmark	(Belgian) fans doused him in beer and verbally abused him during the race.
December 30, 2023	UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup	Hulst, Netherlands	A group of (Belgian) spectators threw beer and urine at him while he was racing; he was also booed throughout.
March 31, 2024	Tour of Flanders	Flanders region, Belgium	Fans (Belgian) swore at him and doused him in beer as he passed.
April 7, 2024	Paris-Roubaix	Northern France	A (Belgian) female spectator threw a cycling cap at his front wheel in an attempt to disrupt him.
March 28, 2025	E3 Saxo Classic	Harelbeke, Belgium	A (Belgian) spectator spat at him while he was en route to victory.
April 13, 2025	Paris-Roubaix	Templeuve cobbled sector, France	A (Belgian) spectator threw a full water bottle directly at his face while he was riding at high speed; he described it as painful and potentially dangerous.
April 13, 2025	Paris-Roubaix	Carrefour de l’Arbre sector, France	Another (unconfirmed nationality) spectator threw a drink at him during the race.
December 22, 2025	X2O Trofee cyclo-cross	Hofstade, Belgium	A (unconfirmed nationality) spectator blew vape smoke directly into his face as he passed by.

 

[AmRacer]

Here's a list of abuses MVP has been subjected to throughout his career. It's either in races on French or Belgian soil with the exception of the CX WC in Denmark and a CX race in the Netherlands. There's an obvious pattern here. It's always Belgian fans doing this to him. Even in Denmark and the Netherlands it was still Belgian fans.

Disgusting, sickening, unacceptable behavior.

Date	Race/Event	Location	Description of Abuse
February 3, 2019	UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships	Bogense, Denmark	(Belgian) fans doused him in beer and verbally abused him during the race.
December 30, 2023	UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup	Hulst, Netherlands	A group of (Belgian) spectators threw beer and urine at him while he was racing; he was also booed throughout.
March 31, 2024	Tour of Flanders	Flanders region, Belgium	Fans (Belgian) swore at him and doused him in beer as he passed.
April 7, 2024	Paris-Roubaix	Northern France	A (Belgian) female spectator threw a cycling cap at his front wheel in an attempt to disrupt him.
March 28, 2025	E3 Saxo Classic	Harelbeke, Belgium	A (Belgian) spectator spat at him while he was en route to victory.
April 13, 2025	Paris-Roubaix	Templeuve cobbled sector, France	A (Belgian) spectator threw a full water bottle directly at his face while he was riding at high speed; he described it as painful and potentially dangerous.
April 13, 2025	Paris-Roubaix	Carrefour de l’Arbre sector, France	Another (unconfirmed nationality) spectator threw a drink at him during the race.
December 22, 2025	X2O Trofee cyclo-cross	Hofstade, Belgium	A (unconfirmed nationality) spectator blew vape smoke directly into his face as he passed by.

And today, somebody hit him

 

[ChasingPotatoes]

Ofcourse it's Belgian fans: They are 90% of cyclocross fans, and there were 9 (the incident today included) idiots out of 10 races x 20.000 fans x 6 years = 1.2 million fans that are lining the parcours.
It's actually a miracle it's 'only' 9 incidents, considering 10-20% of spectators are totally drunk.

 

[Spine Concept]

Ofcourse it's Belgian fans: They are 90% of cyclocross fans, and there were 9 (the incident today included) idiots out of 10 races x 20.000 fans x 6 years = 1.2 million fans that are lining the parcours.
It's actually a miracle it's 'only' 9 incidents, considering 10-20% of spectators are totally drunk.

Nah, this isn't it. You're missing the point, it's the fact that MVP is Dutch. This is the reason that it's mostly Belgian fans. Also, it's not only at CX races as my post clearly shows, which further proves my point.

 

[Panda Claws]

It's Belgian fans most of the time for sure. I'm just at a loss why this consistently needs to be a topic of discussion. Presumably no-one on this forum is involved.

 

[vappaxbipmv]

Here's a list of abuses MVP has been subjected to throughout his career. It's either in races on French or Belgian soil with the exception of the CX WC in Denmark and a CX race in the Netherlands. There's an obvious pattern here. It's always Belgian fans doing this to him. Even in Denmark and the Netherlands it was still Belgian fans.

Disgusting, sickening, unacceptable behavior.

Date	Race/Event	Location	Description of Abuse
February 3, 2019	UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships	Bogense, Denmark	(Belgian) fans doused him in beer and verbally abused him during the race.
December 30, 2023	UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup	Hulst, Netherlands	A group of (Belgian) spectators threw beer and urine at him while he was racing; he was also booed throughout.
March 31, 2024	Tour of Flanders	Flanders region, Belgium	Fans (Belgian) swore at him and doused him in beer as he passed.
April 7, 2024	Paris-Roubaix	Northern France	A (Belgian) female spectator threw a cycling cap at his front wheel in an attempt to disrupt him.
March 28, 2025	E3 Saxo Classic	Harelbeke, Belgium	A (Belgian) spectator spat at him while he was en route to victory.
April 13, 2025	Paris-Roubaix	Templeuve cobbled sector, France	A (Belgian) spectator threw a full water bottle directly at his face while he was riding at high speed; he described it as painful and potentially dangerous.
April 13, 2025	Paris-Roubaix	Carrefour de l’Arbre sector, France	Another (unconfirmed nationality) spectator threw a drink at him during the race.
December 22, 2025	X2O Trofee cyclo-cross	Hofstade, Belgium	A (unconfirmed nationality) spectator blew vape smoke directly into his face as he passed by.

I would exclude verbal abuse and booing. If you can't take that you shouldn't be a professional athlete

 

[Spine Concept]

I would exclude verbal abuse and booing. If you can't take that you shouldn't be a professional athlete

There was no instance where it was only booing or verbal abuse in my post. It was always accompanied by a beer or urine dousing.

 

[Spine Concept]

It's Belgian fans most of the time for sure. I'm just at a loss why this consistently needs to be a topic of discussion. Presumably no-one on this forum is involved.

It's a MVP thread on a cycling forum and he's been subjected to a disproportionate amount of abuse by these losers. The most recent one was today. So it's odd that you think it's odd that it's discussed in here. It deserves every bit of attention it gets.

 

[vappaxbipmv]

There was no instance where it was only booing or verbal abuse in my post. It was always accompanied by a beer or urine dousing.

I understand but I would still remove that because it doesn't physically interfere with the rider

 

[Spine Concept]

I understand but I would still remove that because it doesn't physically interfere with the rider

It's a description of everything that happened. Moreover, verbal abuse is still abuse, even if it doesn't physically interfere with the rider. Even if you need to have thick skin as a professional athlete in these instances it's still deplorable behavior by simple-minded "fans". Just because you need to be able to tolerate verbal abuse in your profession doesn't make it right to have to be subjected to it. So it stays.

 

[ChasingPotatoes]

Nah, this isn't it. You're missing the point, it's the fact that MVP is Dutch. This is the reason that it's mostly Belgian fans. Also, it's not only at CX races as my post clearly shows, which further proves my point.

Your point was it’s Belgian fans. I agreed with that point. I didn’t miss anything. I only added some context. Van der poel has more die hard cross fans in Belgium than anywhere else in the world, simply because there are, for starters, more cross fans than all other countries combined. He lives in Belgium by the way and probably identifies as partly Belgian.

 

[Spine Concept]

Your point was it’s Belgian fans. I agreed with that point. I didn’t miss anything. I only added some context.

You did miss the point though, because the context you added reframes the issue as random probability, while my argument is about motive, not odds.

If this were just a numbers game, abuse would be spread across riders. It isn’t. It follows Van der Poel across disciplines, countries, and years, and the common factor is that he’s Dutch and beating Belgians on “their” terrain.

So yes, Belgian fans, agreed. But reducing it to odds ignores the nationalistic motive, which is the actual point.

 

[dougvdh]

And today, somebody hit him

Van der Poel stated he did not believe that was intentional.

 

[Spine Concept]

Van der Poel stated he did not believe that was intentional.

It must become tiresome for MVP, organizers and Belgian pundits to have to explain away these incidents. That doesn’t mean this specific incident must have been intentional, it very well could have been an accident. The issue for me is the pattern, which makes it harder and harder to keep believing these downplaying attempts and "Mea nulla culpa" stances from the culprits. Oh well...

 

[chickenlips]

Could it not just be die hard cross fans being a bit hacked off because VDP turns up when he feels like it and mops up all the wins, when all the other riders have been racing all season?

 

[Spine Concept]

Could it not just be die hard cross fans being a bit hacked off because VDP turns up when he feels like it and mops up all the wins, when all the other riders have been racing all season?

Cry me a river. A true professional and champion doesn't get the same satisfaction from not beating the best. It'll always be "but MVP wasn't there". I'm certain that Nys Jr. and WvA would attest to getting way more satisfaction from beating the very best then anyone else.

You can clearly see Nys Jr. pushing his limits when MVP is racing. That only makes him better and the satisfaction bigger when he eventually does beat him. Nys Jr. is a champ in the making, has the right mentality.

The main point though, is that none of this justifies this type of degenerate behavior.

 

[awavey]

Well it looked to me like the spectator tried to push or shove him.

Now you can jump through all kinds of mental gymnastics to claim he wasn't intentionally pushing him off the bike, merely overcome with such support for MvdP he felt he needed some assistance to move forward after his poor start.

Or however you want to square the circle, fact is your arm/hand doesnt unintentionally move outwards like that and you were attempting some weird come on fist pump encouragement within the fence boundaries of the course and simply were unprepared for how close & fast pro riders are.

The guy also didnt look remotely shocked, embarrassed he'd made contact with the MvdP afterwards. Though didnt clock if he disappeared after that lap.

I can understand why MvdP downplays it, but its still like the vaper guy just another add to the list examples of bad crowd behaviour towards him at these races imo.

Nobody got hands on with the riders in the women's race, why is it always in the mens and always MvdP who gets it.

 

[vappaxbipmv]

It's a description of everything that happened. Moreover, verbal abuse is still abuse, even if it doesn't physically interfere with the rider. Even if you need to have thick skin as a professional athlete in these instances it's still deplorable behavior by simple-minded "fans". Just because you need to be able to tolerate verbal abuse in your profession doesn't make it right to have to be subjected to it. So it stays.

You shouldn't have to endure it but you also shouldn't be bothered by it when it does happen

 

[Spine Concept]

You shouldn't have to endure it but you also shouldn't be bothered by it when it does happen

Wrong again.

Those two things don’t go together.
Saying “you shouldn’t have to endure it” while also saying “you shouldn’t be bothered by it” is basically normalizing the behavior.

Being a professional athlete means accepting that it might happen, not that it’s acceptable or irrelevant when it does. Verbal abuse is still abuse, and it often goes hand-in-hand with the physical incidents, which is why it belongs in the description.

Tolerance ≠ justification. It's quite simple really.

 

[Tim Cahill]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2005690626340442459

Just someone being careless it looks like

 

[Spine Concept]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2005690626340442459

Just someone being careless it looks like

He made the same movements while other riders passed by, he just had to save his careless moment for when MVP passed by. Just makes it so hard to keep excusing these types of incidents. Oh well. Just another bonehead I guess.

 

[ChasingPotatoes]

He made the same movements while other riders passed by, he just had to save his careless moment for when MVP passed by. Just makes it so hard to keep excusing these types of incidents. Oh well. Just another bonehead I guess.

The guy involved in the incident is, according to the latest info, a legitimate lover of the race but (as far as I see on the footage) clumsy / stupid (and maybe a bit drunk), without any 'hate' towards MvdP.

Still, this incident is used by you to make the above statement. I fear your prejudice is taking over.

You did miss the point though, because the context you added reframes the issue as random probability, while my argument is about motive, not odds.

If this were just a numbers game, abuse would be spread across riders. It isn’t. It follows Van der Poel across disciplines, countries, and years, and the common factor is that he’s Dutch and beating Belgians on “their” terrain.

So yes, Belgian fans, agreed. But reducing it to odds ignores the nationalistic motive, which is the actual point.

Yes, I totally agree it's about motive. And now, if you understand what I'm saying (I say it again, but more clearly): The odds are so low (6 years, more than a million people, 8 incidents.), that the motive brought up by you (nationalistic) is at least open for debate, and many more Cx are without incidents than there are Cx with incidents.

There have been other incidents with 'fans' in cyclocross and the main factors could as well be low IQ, alcohol and fandom in general ((see Nys vs. Wellens, both Belgians but the Nys hate was there too).
Some of the incidents (and subsequent incidents) could also be motivated by riders challenging fans (Nys, Wellens, Groenendaal, MvdP all 'attacking' fans at one point or another).