Man Surrenders to Police After Throwing Bottle at Van der Poel During Paris-Roubaix
Paris-Roubaix Incident: Suspect Turns Himself in After Bottle Thrown at Van der Poel
A man has turned himself in to Belgian police today, Monday, April 14th, following an incident during Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix cycling race where a water bottle was thrown at the face of race leader Mathieu van der Poel.
The Dutchman was struck with 23 miles remaining while leading the prestigious cobbled race, which was lined with numerous spectators. The man presented himself at a police station in West Flanders.
Van der Poel, who went on to win the grueling event for a record-equalling third consecutive time, described the impact as being like “getting hit by a stone.” Speaking after his victory, he noted, “The bottle was nearly full and weighed half a kilo, and when someone throws it like that, it’s not nothing.”
Public prosecutor Filiep Jodts confirmed the surrender to BBC Sport, stating, “We can confirm that the man presented himself to the police. An official report was drawn up, in which his statement was recorded. The Public Prosecution Service will decide in the coming days what action should be taken.”
Despite the incident, Van der Poel shrugged it off to win the Monument race – one of cycling’s five major one-day classics – by a significant margin of over a minute ahead of his rival Tadej Pogacar, the reigning Tour de France champion.
The 30-year-old Dutch cyclist, who now has eight Monument victories, the same as Pogacar, has unfortunately been involved in several incidents with spectators in recent years. These include being spat at during the E3 Saxo Classic in Belgium in March of this year, having beer thrown at him during the Tour of Flanders in April of last year, and spitting at spectators during a cyclocross race in the Netherlands in December 2023 after enduring boos and having liquids thrown at him.
Following Sunday’s incident, Van der Poel reiterated his call for action, stating, “Something should be done about it. People spitting and throwing things, it’s too much, and I’m going to ask for action to be taken.”
The Paris-Roubaix race, held in northern France, attracts an estimated 500,000 roadside spectators. This year’s edition covered a distance of 259.2 kilometers (161 miles), with approximately one-fifth of the race taking place on challenging cobbled sections.
