The spectator who launched a can on van der Poel during the Paris-Roubaix went to the Belgian police-Liberation

The yellow can arisen from the crowd on Sunday 33 km from the finish, launched by a spectator on the aisle. He had finished his race, after a few laps in the air, in the face of a Mathieu van der Poel Who spun on the pavers of Paris-Roubaix at more than 40 km/h, driven by a Slovenian who was dangerously close. The consequences could have been dramatic. For the race, first, if Van de Poel had lost control of his bike and fell at full speed on the concrete blocks. For the health of the Dutch runner too, and for spectators who could have taken his 75 kilos head -on.

Fortunately, none of this happened: Mathieu Van der Poel remained cramped on the hanger, did not deviate from his trajectory and won, a big half hour later, his third Paris-Roubaix in a row. But after the arrival, the grandson of Raymond Poulidor still (and rightly) fulminated, assuring that he was going to initiate legal proceedings against the spectator in question after this « Homicide attempt » :: “It is unacceptable. It was a full can, he weighed half a kilo and I was driving at 40 km/h. It is like receiving a stone in the figure. It hurt me very much. I hope we can identify the spectator and initiate prosecution. ”

This Monday, April 14, the Belgian media reports that a person, presenting himself as the spectator who launched the container, went to a country police station the previous evening. According to the Flanders-Western Public Prosecutor’s Office, it is a 30-year-old, Dutch-speaking man, who would have justified his gesture by a « Access of madness » that he regrets.

Cycling having the distinction of having spectators particularly close to athletes (impossible to install 250 km of barriers with each race), this kind of incident is unfortunately recurrent. Christopher Froome had for example received Urine in the face during the 2015 Tour de France by a spectator accusing him of being doped. Eddy Merckx had even been struck by a person from the public during the ascent of Puy-de-Dôme on the Grande Boucle in 1975.

Mathieu Van der Poel has probably been the most targeted runner for two years by the excesses of fans. In 2023, during a cyclo-cross test (his specialty) in the Netherlands, the Dutchman had received urine and beer from spectators. We also spit on him on the Tour of Flanders 2024 and during a race in early 2025. Finally, a spectator had threw a cap on him during Paris-Roubaix last year.