Overview

• Mathieu Van der Poel was struck in the face by a full bottle thrown by a spectator during the 2025 Paris-Roubaix race, an act he condemned as dangerous and unacceptable.
• The perpetrator, a 30-year-old Flemish man, voluntarily turned himself in to a Belgian police station on April 14 and is now under investigation.
• Van der Poel has called the incident a 'tentative d’homicide involontaire' and demanded judicial action, stating that such behavior cannot be tolerated.
• Race organizer ASO has declined to file a complaint, viewing the aggression as a personal matter for Van der Poel to address legally if he chooses.
• This attack is part of a troubling pattern of spectator aggression targeting Van der Poel, including spitting, beer throwing, and other physical acts in recent years.