A man has handed himself in to Belgian police in West Flanders after admitting throwing a full bottle of water into the face of Mathieu van der Poel at Paris-Roubaix on Sunday.
According to a report in Nieuwsblad, nothing is known about the man’s identity but he is said to have expressed regret for his actions.
Van der Poel was alone off the front of the race when the bottle struck him on the Templeuve-en-Pévèle cobbled sector. Fortunately for the Dutchman, he managed to stay upright and the incident did not impact the outcome of the race. But it could have been much worse.
Speaking in his post-race press conference, Van der Poel described the impact of the bottle as feeling like a stone hitting his face, such was the speed he was travelling at across the cobbles. "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," he said. "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."
He later said to Sporza that his team, Alpecin-Deceuninck, would be pursuing legal action against the spectator if the UCI did not get to them first and described the act as "attempted manslaughter".
It is not the first time that Van der Poel has been the victim of similar behaviour from the roadside. During last year’s Paris-Roubaix, a spectator attempted to throw a hat into his back wheel as he rode to victory in the rainbow jersey as reigning world champion. He has also been spat at by people during the E3 Saxo Classic, and he had beer thrown over him in the same race. The Belgian branch of the CPA riders union said last year that it would be pursuing legal action against fans who threw beer at the 30-year-old during the Tour of Flanders.
"We want something to be done about those who spoil the atmosphere for everyone," said Bert Scheirlincx, secretary general of the Belgian cyclists' association, BPCA, at the time. "We are prepared to go all the way with our civil action as long as certain rude fans are punished and stop spoiling the spectacle that our beautiful sport has to offer."
