Man who threw bottle at Van der Poel during Paris-Roubaix turns himself in
A man who threw a bottle at Dutch cyclist Mathieu van der Poel during Sunday's Paris-Roubaix race has turned himself in to police in West Flanders.
Van der Poel was hit in the face by the bottle before going on to win the race. He has called for legal action and his team, Alpecin-Deceuninck, will file a complaint against him, it confirmed on Monday. The team is also calling for measures to prevent such behaviour in the future.
The 28-year-old, reportedly from West Flanders, told a local cycling fan group that he had acted in a moment of madness and regretted his actions. He had been travelling with a bus of supporters of Slovenian rider Matej Mohorič, although he wasn't a member of the fan club.
The group confronted him after the incident. After initially denying the act, the man admitted it, saying he was ashamed. The fan club insisted that he turn himself in to the authorities.
The man was said to be emotionally distraught following a recent personal loss. It is unclear whether he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time.
Van der Poel, who was hit with 32km to go, called for legal action. "This can't go unpunished. It was a full bottle - it really hurt. If it had hit my nose it would've been broken. This should be prosecuted. It's attempted manslaughter. If the UCI doesn't take action, our team could pursue it.
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO JEFF PACHOUD / AFP
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