The man who tapped cyclist Mathieu van der Poel on Monday afternoon during the Azencross regrets his action. He informed the Belgian sports channel Sporza. The organization has not filed a complaint against the man.
The incident happened after the first lap of the cyclocross in Loenhout, Belgium. While Van der Poel makes his way through the mud into the peloton, a spectator’s hand touches his thigh. The cyclist briefly loses his balance and almost falls, but manages to avoid this.
“I have nothing against Mathieu van der Poel,” the man responds the Belgian channel. “I feel extremely guilty and this was not my intention at all.” Images show that the hand is immediately withdrawn after Van der Poel is hit.
Apologize
The rider swerves for a moment, but quickly regains control of his bike. He looks back, shouts something and raises an arm in the air, after which he continues on his way. “I really love cross country, so this is the last thing I wanted to happen,” says the man. “I would like to once again apologize to Mathieu.”
Undefeated
Van der Poel himself reacted quite soberly to the incident afterwards. “Something like that can happen,” he said. “I think that man was just supporting. I was lucky that I didn’t fall.”
From a sporting point of view, the incident had no consequences. Van der Poel also won the cross in Loenhout with convincing superiority. The world champion is still undefeated this winter season.
No complaint
After the incident, the police took the man in for questioning. However, according to Sporza, there will be no further complaint from the organization.
According to organizer Golazo, the man was very impressed and assured officers that it was an accident. “It is now up to the police to decide.”