Former winner of the Ronde van Vlaanderen and world champion Cyclocross, Adrie van der Poel, has asked the Belgian cycling fans to stay respectful and sportsmanlike the upcoming season. He is afraid that the atmosphere during Belgian cyclocross races will change when the Belgian supremacy will end.

The two sons of van der Poel, Mathieu and David, and Lars van der Haar are expected to end the Belgian dominance in cyclocross. Van der Poel is afraid that the Belgian fans will turn against them. “It is ok to be patriotic and fanatical, but you have to stay respectful towards the riders. My son was already booed and hissed at last year.” Van der Poel told Omroep Brabant.

The rivalry between Belgium and the Netherlands reached rock-bottom in cyclocross, when in 2001, Richard Groenendaal lost his composure after years of abuse and punched a Belgian fan in the face. At the world championships in Hoogergeide in 2009, Lars Boom and his family were victims of abuse from Belgian fans as well.