Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was met with an unruly spectator who blew vape smoke in his face at the end of his winning performance at the X2O Trofee Hofstade in Belgium on Monday.
The World Champion was racing his final lap of the elite men's hour-long race, and on his way to solo victory, when the spectator leaned over the fencing as he passed to blow a cloud of smoke in his face. The action forced him to turn his head away from the smoke; his racing glasses likely prevented smoke from getting in his eyes.
"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," Van der Poel told Sporza.
It is not the first time Van der Poel has faced abuses from spectators during road and cyclocross races, where he has been spat on and had items thrown at him. In some cases, local authorities have subsequently launched investigations into the incidents or have increased police presence at events.
Alpecin-Deceuninck manager Christoph Roodhooft commented on the incident after the X2O Trofee Hofstade ended, saying he didn't see it happen but felt the action was "silly".
"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."
The second of five cyclocross duels between Van der Poel and Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) this season ended in victory again for the World Champion after he opened up a gap on the third lap and extended it all the way to the finish.
Van der Poel has won every cyclocross race he has started this season, so far, taking victories in three World Cups - Namur, Antwerp and Koksijde - along with his recent win at X2O Trofee Hofstade.
