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Exhausted Pogacar ruled out of Olympics | 00:27
Dutch cyclist Mathieu van der Poel has vowed to pursue legal action after a Paris-Roubaix spectator hurled a water bottle at his head during the iconic race.
On Sunday, the 30-year-old became the first cyclist to win three-consecutive Paris-Roubaix races, joining Frenchman Octave Lapize (1909-1911) and Italian Francesco Moser (1978-1980) on the illustrious list. He clinched the historic victory with a 1:18 margin over second-placed Tadej Pogacar.
However, van der Poel’s triumph was marred by a spectator who threw a bidon at him towards the end of sector 8 at Templeuve, about 33km from the finish.
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“We can’t let this pass,” van der Poel later told Sporza.
“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 doesn’t take action, then we will do it with the team.”
He continued during a press conference: “It doesn’t destroy the fun I had, but it’s not normal.
“It was a full bottle, maybe half a kilogram, and I’m riding at 50km/h. 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.”
The water bottle drama wasn’t an isolated incident – earlier in the race, another spectator was captured hurling a cup of liquid at van der Poel on the Carrefour de l’Arbre cobbled sector.
