Mathieu Van der Poel, a renowned cyclist, has had several unpleasant experiences with spectators. During last month's E3 Saxo Bank Classic, he was spat on while leading. In a separate incident at Paris-Roubaix, he was struck by a water bottle. Such incidents have occurred before. The culprits have faced consequences, but the issues persist.

In December 2023, he spat at some spectators himself. The following April, he had beer thrown at him during the Tour of Flanders.