🎥 Horrendous: "Fan" spits on Mathieu Van der Poel during E3 Saxo Classic, but Dutch rider keeps his cool and wins E3 for the second time

Mathieu van der Poel again showed who is currently the best classic cyclist in the E3 Saxo Classic. After his victory in Milan-Sanremo, he attacked relentlessly on the Oude Kwaremont and headed to Harelbeke to defend his title. It was a great performance, but apparently, not everyone appreciated the dominance. One fan spat at the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider, and it was captured on camera.

As the top favorite, Van der Poel appeared at the start of the E3 Saxo Classic on Friday morning, the classic he won for the first time a year earlier. The question was also how good Wout van Aert would be on Friday, who was making his comeback after altitude training.

It seemed he was not quite at the level of the other top favorites, at least when Mads Pedersen took off on the Taaienberg. Van der Poel was able to keep up, as was the always-strong Filippo Ganna. Van Aert was not well positioned when the pace picked up and saw his chances of a new victory in the E3 go up in smoke.

Van der Poel, Ganna, and Pedersen formed a trio and rode towards the two leaders, Aimé de Gendt and Casper Pedersen. But once they reached the Oude Kwaremont, Van der Poel had taken off. Pedersen initially managed to keep up with him for some time but eventually had to let MVDP set the pace.

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Van der Poel broke away from Pedersen and Ganna on the Oude Kwaremont

Man by the side of the road spits on Van der Poel

Van der Poel continued solo towards Harelbeke on his way to his second victory in the E3. However, he encountered a not-so-cheerful 'fan' who felt the need to spit on the Dutch rider. This resulted in the bizarre footage, which you can see below. Let's hope the organization or authorities will act after this bizarre incident.

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Van der Poel races to back-to-back victories in the E3 Saxo Classic despite spitting incident

It did not faze the Dutch rider. Well, actually... Van der Poel fans may have suffered a minor panic attack on Friday afternoon. Van der Poel had a close call due to the rain, causing him almost to lose his balance and fall off his bike. However, the former world champion handled it with composure (see video at the bottom of the article) and continued on his way to the finish in Harelbeke.

In Harelbeke, Van der Poel won the Belgian classic for the second time in his career. He had already won the race last year after finishing third in 2021 and second in 2023. Four podium places in four participations, including two victories, are once again remarkable statistics for the Dutch rider.

With his impressive solo in the E3 Saxo Classic, Van der Poel is certainly sending a warning to the competition in the run-up to the Tour of Flanders. In the Tour, the Dutch rider will again face Van Aert, although Tadej Pogacar will certainly have to be considered. The Slovenian will return to the Belgian Monument after a year's absence, a race he already managed to win in 2023. We can look forward to another incredible cycling spectacle on Sunday, April 6!

Read also

Van Aert draws harsh conclusion after failed comeback in E3: "I was here to achieve a good result"

Van der Poel crushes competition for second year in a row in E3 Saxo Classic and sends warning to Pogacar with monster solo

4 Crucial E3 moments through the eyes of Mathieu van der Poel: "It was tough, he was trying to motivate me"

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