Fans were cheering loudly, there was smoke in his face, and yet, Mathieu van der Poel still crossed the line first. That’s the kind of resilience the reigning world champion has shown time and again. On December 22, 2025, at the X2O Badkamers Trofee in Hofstade, Belgium, Van der Poel claimed his fourth win in as many races since returning to cyclo-cross, though he faced a near setback at the end.

The race, the fourth round of a multi-event series that had returned to the calendar after 17 years away, drew a huge crowd. But as Van der Poel stormed toward the finish on the final lap, a spectator leaned over the barriers and blew a cloud of smoke from a vape directly into his face.

For a second, he flicked his head over to the side, but soon after, he turned back, his racing glasses shielding his eyes, and pushed on, seemingly unfazed.

Despite the distraction, van der Poel still finished 48 seconds ahead of Wout van Aert, with Niels Vandeputte taking bronze. After the race, Van der Poel addressed the incident:

“Yes, I felt it. That was right after the finish, wasn’t it? I don’t know if it was intentional, because I didn’t see,” he told reporters, refusing to let the disruption overshadow his performance.

Even Christoph Roodhooft, Van Aert’s team manager, echoed that sentiment.

“I didn’t see it, but those are silly things. I don’t really want to say anything more about it. Isn’t reacting to something so stupid just plain stupid? It’s simply inappropriate and improper… It’s a shame that something so small gets so much attention. All the riders were very positive; this is a fantastic course… That’s much more important to take home than an action like this.”

Sadly, Hofstade was just the latest in a string of crowd-related incidents the reigning world champion has faced.

Mathieu van der Poel’s repeated experiences with spectator infractions

In previous seasons, spectators have thrown beer and allegedly urine at him during cyclo-cross races and road competitions. One of the most frightening incidents took place at Paris-Roubaix in April 2025, when a spectator threw a full water bottle right in his face.

Then, he was also spat at by a spectator at the E3 Saxo Classic and had a cap tossed into his wheels at the 2024 Paris-Roubaix.

The UCI condemned the bottle-throwing incident, announcing that it would take legal action against anyone who threatened the security of the riders, following which the spectator turned themselves in to Belgian police. After facing such threatening experiences, van der Poel was more indifferent towards the vape smoke.

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“I saw it too, but I don’t know if it was on purpose. It didn’t really bother me. In any case, it’s better than beer,” said van der Poel after the race. Nevertheless, the 30-year-old isn’t always so calm following such incidents.

Back in December 2023 at the Cyclo‑Cross World Cup race in Hulst, the frustration from repeated crowd incursions finally reached a tipping point for Mathieu van der Poel. Despite being far ahead and eventually winning the race, he was caught spitting in the direction of a group of spectators during the final lap – the same ones who allegedly threw urine and beer at him.

Afterward, he explained his actions.

“Already during the warm-up they were booing. Then it’s better to stay at home. I’ve had it with all the booing. 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.”

The rise of spectators interfering with cyclists is a worrying trend, one that several riders, such as van der Poel and his rivals Tadej Pogacar and Wout van Aert, have urged authorities to curb with strong punitive measures.