Mathieu van der Poel was abused and doused in beer by some Belgian fans as he raced towards the gold medal. His father spoke out about it and the above image, of a fan letting fly with an obscene gesture, have sparked an apology from the Belgian governing body.
The Belgian cycling federation has accepted that a small number of Belgian fans abused Mathieu van der Poel during his gold medal winning ride at the Worlds in Denmark on Sunday.
The new champion’s father. Adrie van der Poel has said some Belgian spectators threw beer at his son during the racing.
And a photo also emerged (above) showing one fan giving Mathieu van der Poel the middle finger from the crowd.
The Belgian federation said it supported the globalisation of cyclocross after seeing the Dutch winner beat its riders Wout Van Aert and Toon Aerts.
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“It is regrettable that one had to witness that a certain number of spectators - fortunately an absolute minority - are not of the same view,” Belgian Cycling said in a statement.
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“Nobody, including the Belgian delegation, benefits from unsporting and insulting behaviour. read the statement.
“The fact our riders had to see the title go to Mathieu van der Poel on Sunday, after a fair battle, is part of the laws of sport.
“For Belgian Cycling, the Dutchman deserved the title. We sincerely congratulate Mathieu van der Poel, not only for the way in which he won his second world title, but for his many fine performances in recent months.
"The majority of Belgian fans who travelled to Denmark made the World Championships in Bogense a popular party.
“It is unacceptable that a few people partly spoiled that unique atmosphere, and so Belgian Cycling wishes to apologise for this."
Adrie van der Poel has previously spoken out about some Belgian cyclocross fans getting carried away and calling for calm.
As far back as 2014 he said: “It is ok to be patriotic and fanatical, but you have to stay respectful towards the riders. My son was already booed and hissed at last year.”
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