Furious cyclist demands investigation into 'attempted manslaughter' during race

Cycling star Mathieu van der Poel claimed that he was the victim of “attempted manslaughter” when he was hit in the face by a water bottle in the Paris-Roubaix. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider won one of the sport’s oldest races for a third year in a row, holding off Tadej Pogacar, but an unsavoury incident marred the achievement.

The former world champion was 20 seconds clear on a cobbled section when a bottle was thrown from low down among a host of spectators. It struck Van der Poel in the face, but a crash on a tight bend from Pogacar ensured that the powerful Dutchman still finished on top in a thrilling one-day classic.

Van der Poel, who became just the third cyclist to win three straight Paris-Roubaix titles after Octave Lapize (1909-11) and Francesco Moser (1978-80), fumed after he crossed the finish line and demanded an investigation into the launched bottle - describing the attack as “attempted manslaughter.”

He told Belgian outlet Sporza: "We can't let this pass. It was a full bidon, and it hurt a lot. If I take that bidon 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 (Union Cycliste Internationale) doesn't take action, then we will do it with the team.”

In his post-race press conference, the 30-year-old insisted that legal action would be taken if cycling’s governing body do not launch an investigation of their own.

"It doesn't destroy the fun I had, but it's not normal,” the champion added. "It was a full bottle, maybe half a kilogram, and I'm riding at 50kph. It was really like a stone hitting my face.

"It's not acceptable. When they throw beer, it's also not acceptable, but that's a different story. This is really something we have to take legal action against."

Het Nieuwsblad claims that an unidentified spectator has since turned themselves in to the police in West Flanders, though it is not clear if an official complaint will be filed by Alpecin-Deceuninck. Van der Poel, his team and the organisation can all file a complaint.

Team manager Philip Roodhooft appeared to play down the matter when addressing the incident, explaining: "These kinds of people don't deserve that. We will first see if the authorities can identify someone.

"But we shouldn't give it too much attention when you see how many tens of thousands of people do appreciate what Mathieu and others are achieving here."

Former British road cyclist Adam Blythe, on commentary for TNT Sports’ coverage of the race, labelled the spectator involved as a “scumbag” and was thankful that Van der Poel could continue.

"Just scumbags,” he said. “I can't believe someone is doing this. It's just beyond belief. Good news is it didn’t affect him - but yeah, disgusting. Just do one. Don’t bother coming out."