A spectator who threw a full bottle at Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) during Paris-Roubaix, hitting him in the face, has handed himself in to the police. The man has also spoken of his regret about the incident after releasing a statement to the Belgian media.
He said he had been drinking while waiting for the race to arrive, on sector 8 of pavé at Templeuve. He could not explain why he picked up the bottle and threw it at Van der Poel as he passed, while leading the race solo with about 33km to go.
Though he went on to win the race, Van der Poel later spoke at length about the incident, saying both he and his team wanted a police investigation and would monitor the situation closely for the appropriate follow-up. Van der Poel also described the incident as "attempted manslaughter".
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It has now emerged the Belgian man responsible presented himself to the police the following day. He has also released a statement, via his lawyer, to the Belgian media.
He told Het Laatste Nieuws he wanted to apologise to van der Poel and say he was glad the Dutch rider had won the race on Sunday "despite my stupid actions".
"I realise I have to apologise to every rider or cycling enthusiast," he said. "Mathieu van der Poel was approaching and when he passed I made that stupid decision and threw that water bottle.
"Why did I do that? I’ve been asking myself that question ever since, but I don’t have an explanation for it myself. (It was an) extremely foolish impulse. I can’t explain it any other way.
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"We arrived around 11 o’clock. We had a drink in the tent nearby. Waiting for the riders to pass on the section where we were standing. And yes, I have to admit, that I had a bit too much to drink.
"In the grass field between the tent and the cobblestone strip, I saw that yellow bidon. Perhaps one of the juniors had thrown it away that morning. Without thinking much about it, I picked it up.
"I felt so bad when I hit him. Within half a second I already regretted throwing it. I have been really ashamed for days. On the one hand I was very happy that he didn’t fall. But why did I do that? How could I be so stupid? What would happen to me now?
"That one stupid second has caused me to end up in an incredible media storm. It seems like everyone is talking about me now. I know I was wrong and I will take responsibility, but I hope the dust can settle soon."
The spectator's lawyer, Peter Desmet told HLN, it was unclear how the matter will now be dealt with. He appeared to suggest he hoped it could be settled between the parties - his client, van der Poel and his team.
"My client will take legal responsibility," Desmet said. "Of course, we would prefer to settle this between ourselves, but he also understands that it is a matter of principle.
"The incident happened in France, of course ,and the two people involved - himself and the rider - live in Belgium. So that will not be obvious. But we will accept whatever consequences there are."
