French authorities have initiated an investigation following an incident where a plastic bottle was thrown at Mathieu van der Poel during his third consecutive victory at the Paris-Roubaix cycling race on Sunday. The Lille prosecutor, Carole Etienne, announced on social media that an investigation has been launched for violence with a weapon to identify and apprehend the offender. The Dutch cyclist, riding for Alpecin-Deceuninck, was hit by the bottle as he rode solo on a cobblestone section with only 33 km left in the race, known as “The Hell of the North.”
Expressing his frustration, Van der Poel stated that the bottle, potentially weighing half a kilogram, felt like being hit by a stone at 50 kph and emphasized the need for legal action against such incidents. Het Nieuwsblad reported that the spectator responsible for the incident has since surrendered to the Flemish police. The public prosecutor, Filiep Jodts, confirmed to BBC Sport that the individual had presented himself to the police, and a written statement was taken. The Public Prosecution Service will decide on the appropriate course of action in the coming days.
Cycling’s governing body, the UCI, strongly condemned the behavior of the spectator during the 122nd edition of Paris-Roubaix and pledged to explore all legal avenues in cooperation with the authorities to ensure such behavior is severely punished. The team, Alpecin-De
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/apr/15/mathieu-van-der-poel-bottle-paris-roubaix-cycling-fan
