"I had too much to drink": Paris-Roubaix spectator who threw bottle at Mathieu van der Poel apologises and "will take legal responsibility"

The Paris-Roubaix spectator who threw a water bottle at Mathieu van der Poel as he soloed to a third straight win at the race has spoken to the press for the first time since Sunday's incident, saying he is "really ashamed" and will "take legal responsibility".

Speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws the man, a labourer in his 20s from Waregem in West Flanders, apologised to Van der Poel as well as the wider cycling public and said he "had a bit too much to drink".

A spectator throws a bottle at leader Mathieu van der Poel! 😮 pic.twitter.com/OaCqmb0a9h

— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) April 13, 2025

"Of course, I wanted to do that first and foremost to Mathieu van der Poel himself," the man said. "I am so happy that he crossed the finish line first on Sunday — despite my stupid action. But at the same time, I realise that I have to apologise to every rider or cycling enthusiast.

"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."

The man travelled to the race with a fan club for Slovenian rider Matej Mohorič, although he was not a member and the group has distanced itself from the spectator.

"In the grass field between the tent and the cobblestone strip, I saw that yellow bidon," the spectator continued. "Perhaps one of the juniors had thrown it away that morning. Without thinking much about it, I picked it up. It wasn't completely full, but there was still some in it.

"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. An extremely foolish impulse, I can't explain it any other way. Am I a fan of Wout Van Aert and wanted to block his opponent? Absolutely not, I don't have a favourite rider at all actually.

"I felt so bad when I hit him. Within half a second I already regretted throwing. 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."

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The UCI, Alpecin-Deceuninck, Van der Poel himself and the French Cycling Union have all expressed a desire to see the man face justice over the incident. Representing the spectator, lawyer Peter Desmet said he would "take legal responsibility".

He added: "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 the consequences that will be there."

The spectator handed himself in to police in Flanders and has already been questioned over the incident.

There had been speculation the bottle thrown was a Visma-Lease a Bike-branded one, although the spectator's account did not shed any further light on this. It happened on the Templeuve-en-Pévèle sector and speaking to Sporza's TV cameras afterwards, Van der Poel called the attack "attempted manslaughter" and demanded the perpetrator face legal action.

"We can't let this pass," he said. "It was a full water bottle and it hurt a lot. If I get that water bottle on my nose, it's broken. Hopefully the police can identify the man, because there has to be a trial for this. This is attempted manslaughter. If the UCI does not take action, then we will do it with the team. This is something different than throwing beer."

On Monday afternoon, Alpecin-Deceuninck released an official statement confirming they "will be filing an official complaint against the perpetrator to
formally denounce this behaviour", a statement supported by one from the UCI released at the same time.

It all comes after a spectator was caught on camera spitting at Van der Poel as he soloed to victory at E3 Saxo Classic — the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider also having a hat thrown at his bike by a spectator at last year's Paris-Roubaix, an incident which saw the woman responsible accused of intentional assault and battery.

Mathieu van der Poel cap incident at Paris-Roubaix 2024 (credit: Eurosport/Discovery+)

The lawyer of the spectator involved in last year's incident claimed she "never [had] any intention to harm" to Van der Poel. To avoid prosecution she was offered a deal which would require her to admit wrongdoing and volunteer with Les Amis de Paris-Roubaix (The Friends of Paris-Roubaix organisation).

As with the 2024 incident, Van der Poel was unperturbed by the bottle throwing, continuing his charge to an eighth Monument win of his career, that despite a puncture on the Carrefour de l'Arbre. He and Tadej Pogačar had proved themselves the strongest in the race, distancing Van der Poel's teammate Jasper Philipsen on an earlier sector.

However, a crash saw the world champion cut adrift from Van der Poel, a later mechanical seeing the gap rise to over a minute as the two-time winner added a third cobblestone to his palmares.