Fan attempts to force cyclist Mathieu Van der Poel into crash by throwing object

One onlooker has been caught trying to derail cycling superpower Mathieu Van der Poel during the Tour of Flanders. Van der Poel came out on top in the cobbled classic, but it could have been very different if one misbehaving fan had his way.

Van der Poel was riding to victory when one fan crouched down and tried to throw a hat into the wheel of the superstar rider. Fortunately, the hat bounced off an had no impact on the champion’s end to the race, but footage has emerged of the fan deliberately attempting to derail the now six-time winner.

Van der Poel was just 42 kilometres away from the end of the race at the time, and while he had obstacles still to overcome, he should not have had to worry about a missile from an unruly fan. It’s not the first time, either, with the Dutchman having been the victim of a fan throwing a beer at him last week.

Speaking about that particular incident, he said: "I saw something being thrown at me, but I didn’t know what it was. Obviously not everyone likes it when I’m at the top - but I don’t care."

Eurosport pundit Adam Blyth said of the hat-throwing incident: “Such a crash could have ended his season - these people don’t understand that." There have also been claims of beer and urine being thrown at the rider late last year, incidents that led to the Van der Poel spitting at fans in response.