Sports sociologist after bottle incident with Van der Poel: « I hold my heart for the day that ‘cycling clans’ are fitting together »

Jeroen Scheerder, Professor Sportsociology at KU Leuven, sees the rise of a kind of ‘hooliganism 2.0’ in cycling. “Cycling has some football today. It is an accessible sport with athletes that are almost touchable. It has a folk character. And more and more there is a we-side thinking. There are two camps. You are in front of or against Wout van Aert or Mathieu van der Poel. Two tenors are shifted to the first phase. It was a year ago: you now see physical violence against the athletes. Supportersclan-van der Poel agree to fight each other in bushes or on highway parking. « 

“On that trend can only be one answer: zero tolerance. The media immediately gave the waterculability to the bottle incident. Visma-lease a bike immediately condemned it. Not only because it was a Visma-Bidon, but also as a gesture: ‘We do not want a opponent to be switched off in this way. I also miss a powerful statement of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the example of the Examage Figure. Even with a strong statement, to cycling fans who are in their head to commit supporters violence. (JVR)