During his victory at Paris-Roubaix, cyclist Mathieu van der Poel was struck in the face by a water bottle thrown from the roadside. He described the act as "attempted manslaughter." The incident is under investigation by French police.
Van der Poel secured his third consecutive Paris-Roubaix win, overcoming a puncture 15km from the finish. He and Tadej Pogacar were the leading contenders before Pogacar crashed, leaving Van der Poel to win solo.
Van der Poel stated the bottle hit him with significant force, comparing it to being hit by a stone. He intends to pursue legal action, citing past incidents of harassment, including having objects thrown at him during races.
The police are investigating the incident. Van der Poel is considering legal action with his team if the UCI fails to take action.
Cyclist Mathieu van der Poel was hit by a water bottle thrown by a roadside spectator en route to victory at Paris-Roubaix.
After the race, he described the incident as “attempted manslaughter”.
The Dutchman remained on his bike to secure his third successive victory at Sunday’s historic race, also surviving a puncture with just 15km left.
“The man reported to the Mira police zone (Anzegem, Avelgem, Spiere-Helkijn, Waregem and Zwevegem)”, said a spokesperson for the West Flanders public prosecutor’s office, who did not confirm the identity of the individual.
This edition of Paris-Roubaix had been billed as a meeting between one-day specialist Van der Poel and reigning world and Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar, bidding to win Paris-Roubaix on his first appearance.
The pair were alone at the front of the race with 37km remaining when Pogacar skidded and crashed on a tight right-hander, with Van der Poel soloing ahead to take a brilliant win.
However, it was soon after breaking away from Pogacar that the 30-year-old Dutchman was hit in the face by the water bottle, which appeared to be thrown from a spectator on the roadside.
The French police announced during the race that they were investigating.
“It doesn’t destroy the fun I had but it’s not normal, it was a full bottle, it was like a stone hitting my face,” Van der Poel said in his post-race press conference. “It’s not acceptable, if they spit or throw beer it’s still unacceptable but this is different. This is something we have to take legal action on.”
Van der Poel’s success has meant that some disaffected fans have targeted him before. At last year’s Paris-Roubaix, one fan threw a cap at Van der Poel’s wheel, while he has been spat at and had beer thrown at him during races this season.
Later, speaking to Belgian newspaper Sporza, the rider added: “We can’t let this pass. It was a full bidon, and it hurt a lot. If I take that bidon on my nose, it’s broken.
“Hopefully, the police can identify the man because there has to be a trial for this. This is attempted manslaughter. If the UCI doesn’t take action, then we will do it with the team.”
(Francois Lo Presti/AFP via Getty Images)
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