New footage, recorded from a clearer angle, has emerged of the incident during Paris-Roubaix when a cap being held by a spectator at the roadside hit race leader Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
The incident has caused a lot of controversy, with the French riders' union, the UNCP, reporting it to the police. Though race winner Van der Poel was unaffected, as the cap bounced off him rather than going into his wheels, the TV footage at the time caused intense debate about what had happened.
The woman by the roadside who was holding the cap, until the moment Van der Poel passed, has denied she acted maliciously, adding she was a fan of the Dutch rider.
Her lawyer told Het Laatste Nieuws - which has now published the footage, below - that she had no improper motives on the day as she watched the race on the Mérignies cobbles sector.
Related News
“It was clearly never my client's intention to harm the rider in question. Let alone that she wanted to bring him down. No right-thinking person would do something like that, right?" the lawyer said.
I truly hope she gets a lifetime ban from attending any sporting event……. pic.twitter.com/2QpFYSgt50
— MarkContador (@MontVentoux23) April 14, 2024
Our so-called lovely Belgian lady, who claims to be a fan of Mathieu van der Poel and does not know how her hat ended up in the direction of Mathieu in Paris Roubaix 2024, is apparently a big liar. Look at these images and shudder. pic.twitter.com/9zcdpZ1Snu
— UrbanSteel (@UrbanSteel) April 14, 2024
