Paris-Roubaix: a spectator tried to stop Mathieu van der Poel’s flight by throwing her cap into the Dutchman’s wheels
Starting alone at the head of the race almost 60 kilometers from the finish, Sunday April 7, Mathieu van der Poel could have seen his dream of a double in Paris-Roubaix being stopped by… a spectator. The Dutch rider was indeed the victim of a cap being thrown at his wheels, while he was already 1 minute and 38 seconds ahead 42 kilometers from the finish. The incident occurred at sector number 10, between Mérignies and Avelin.
“I just saw a white thing thrown in my direction but I couldn’t see what it was. Apparently not everyone likes to see me in front but I don’t really care.”, reacted Mathieu van der Poel to the Dutch television channel NOS, after the race. A gesture without consequence since the cap did not get caught in the runner’s wheels of the Alpecin team, which was traveling at 50km/h at the time of the incident. However, the president of the riders’ union, Adam Hansen, warned on his X account (ex-Twitter), that he would take the matter to court, “as we did during the Tour of Flanders”.
Last week, the reigning world champion had already been doused with beer and insulted by supporters of Wout van Aert during his triumph. The Belgian riders’ union immediately announced its desire to file a complaint andThe Belgian police had opened an investigation into “blows and wounds”. Last December, Mathieu van der Poel was also strongly insulted by Belgian supporters during the Cyclo-cross World Cup in Hulst, a Dutch town on the Belgian border.
- For more: Elrisala website and for social networking, you can follow us on Facebook
- Source of information and images “svoboda“
