Bidon thrower feels ashamed and writes letter to Mathieu van der Poel

The Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel won the cycling classic Paris-Roubaix in magnificent fashion on Sunday. However, an act of senseless violence overshadowed this victory.

On a cobblestone section, a spectator threw a bidon full in the face of the leader, Mathieu van der Poel. A particularly dangerous attack as the riders race over the roads at very high speed in such top races. Van der Poel did not fall, but the bidon hit him full in the face. Every cycling fan agrees: this could have ended much worse, and the Dutch top cyclist could certainly have been fatally injured if he had fallen.

Immediately after the incident, the search for the perpetrator began, which led to a 28-year-old from West Flanders. He turned himself in to the police on Sunday night after being identified by people on social media. Through a letter from his lawyer, W.D. apologises for his aggression. In the letter, W.D. emphasises that he wants to take responsibility. “If legal steps are taken, we will respond to them,” according to his counsel.

Mathieu van der Poel himself described the incident on Sunday as an “attempted murder”. But such a scenario seems unlikely. The West Flanders public prosecutor's office has meanwhile stated that the file has been transferred to the French public prosecutor in Lille, and that the investigation will be conducted there. The French prosecutor Carole Etienne said on social media that an investigation is underway for “assault with a weapon.”

(FVDV - Source: Sporza/Het Nieuwsblad - Image: ©Unsplash)