Fan Turns Himself In After Throwing Bottle at Cyclist Van der Poel at Paris-Roubaix
A Belgian man walked into a West Flanders police station, telling police he was the one who threw a full plastic bottle at cyclist Mathieu van der Poel during the Paris-Roubaix race on Sunday.
"I am so happy that he crossed the finish line first on Sunday, despite my stupid action... Half a second later, I realised how stupid and dangerous it was," said the suspect to ESPN.
With about 20 miles to go, the fan threw a half-kilo bottle right at the rider's head. The bottle hit van der Poel while he was riding through the tough cobblestone section.
After the incident, French prosecutors began investigating it as "violence with a weapon." The International Cycling Union called the incident "unacceptable."
The 28-year-old admitted he'd been drinking before watching the race. He came on a fan bus but wasn't with any organized group.
Van der Poel didn't let the attack stop him from winning his third Paris-Roubaix in a row. Only three other riders have ever done that.
The champion said getting hit felt like taking a rock to the face. He mentioned that if it had hit his nose directly, things could have been much worse.
His team, Alpecin-Deceuninck, is going to press charges. This incident highlights the growing problem of dangerous fan behavior that riders face.
This kind of behavior isn't new in cycling. Riders regularly have to dodge beer and spit during both road races and cyclocross events. Van der Poel was actually hit by something else at last year's race too.
Race organizers keep struggling to control rowdy crowds. They still haven't found who threw beer at riders in the 2024 Tour of Flanders.
Cycling officials say these attacks put riders in danger and hurt the sport's reputation. Most incidents happen when fans drink too much during races.
