Mathieu van der Poel had a little bit of a scare on the opening lap of the X2O Trofee Loenhout. The world champ had some brief contact with a spectator, but was it intentional?

New footage captures a hand brushing against the Dutch champion as he exited a corner, causing him to almost lose his balance. At first, many (including your pals at Canadian Cycling Magazine) thought it was another bozo doing something dumb. It’s happened so many times to MvdP–whether in ‘cross or the road, it seemed par for the parcours.

But afterward. Van der Poel downplayed any malicious intent, telling Sporza, as reported by Wielerflits, “I think the man was just cheering. I didn’t feel it was deliberate.” He admitted the moment was dangerous but said he managed to stay upright.

The spectator, who was briefly held for questioning, also expressed regret. “”I really have nothing against Mathieu van der Poel. I feel so guilty. This was not my intention at all. I really like the cross, so this is the last thing I wanted to happen. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Mathieu again,” he said.

Organizer Christophe Impens called the incident “unlucky.” But he stressed it shouldn’t overshadow the race. Van der Poel quickly recovered and moved back to the front. As he does.

Fans were expecting a thrilling Van der Poel vs Van Aert showdown on Monday, but it was not to be. A flat tire ended Van Aert’s charge before things even got hot. Then, Van der Poel controlled the race and cruised to victory once again. Toon Aerts and Joris Nieuwenhuis animated the early laps…with Van der Poel steadily moving up after a shaky start and brief contact with a spectator.

By Lap 3, only Van Aert and Van der Poel remained clear. But bad luck struck again for the Visma – Lease a Bike rider, and that was that. Nieuwenhuis claimed a podium spot, while Niels Vandeputte crossed second, keeping the series standings tight.

Check it out below and decide for yourself.

🎥 Sporza. Video of the 🇳🇱 Mathieu van der Poel ‘incident’ in 🇧🇪 Loenhout. https://t.co/4ZIvAcz0vs pic.twitter.com/y1ylF1cH3q

— Cyclocross24.com (@cyclocross24) December 29, 2025