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Smoking incident at cyclocross: Van der Poel wins despite shock!
An incident at the cyclocross race in Hofstade on December 22nd, 2025: Fan puffs smoke at van der Poel, who still wins.
Smoking incident at cyclocross: Van der Poel wins despite shock!
A scandalous incident occurred between fans and cyclists at a cyclocross race in Hofstade on December 22, 2025. During the race, a fan deliberately blew smoke from an e-cigarette into Dutch star Mathieu van der Poel's face as he drove past. Despite this provocative action, van der Poel triumphed and beat his Belgian rival Wout van Aert by an impressive 48 seconds. This argument, which heated up tempers, overshadowed the sporting events of the day. oe24
Wout van Aert, a prominent rival of van der Poel, competed in his first race of the season but could only manage seventh place after struggling with a puncture. The Belgian rider was 51 seconds behind the winner. Van der Poel, who rides for the Alpecin-Deceuninck team, has already triumphed in Antwerp and with this victory he celebrated his second success of the current season in the prestigious UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup series. Van der Poel said after the race that he felt better than the previous week and that his legs were significantly stronger. cyclingnews
Rivalry and future challenges
The rivalry between van der Poel and van Aert will continue to provide exciting racing. In the overall World Cup standings, Laurens Sweeck has taken the lead with 116 points, just three points ahead of previous series leader Thibau Nys, who fell to 23rd in the race. Van der Poel is now in seventh place in the overall standings. The next race in the series will take place next Sunday in Koksijde, where van der Poel will be looking to prove his form again, while van Aert will not be competing.
The cyclocross race, in which a total of 91 riders started in 12 rows, had a slightly revised course compared to previous years. This should improve the positioning of the drivers in the race. A crash early in the race affected several riders, affecting the momentum of the competition. Ultimately, however, van der Poel managed to take the lead after the first lap and continued to expand his lead until the finish.
For viewers, the e-cigarette incident was more than just an unfortunate event; It was a sign of the sometimes heated emotions that can prevail in cycling, especially when great rivals meet. Such incidents can tarnish the overall impression of sporting competitions, but they also highlight the intensity and dedication associated with the sport.