The spectator who threw a bidon at Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) during Paris-Roubaix on Sunday has handed himself in to the Flemish police, according to a report in Het Nieuwsblad.
The incident occurred whilst Van der Poel was soloing towards victory, with a spectator on the side of the road appearing to throw a yellow bottle at the Dutch rider, striking him in the face 33km from the finish.
Van der Poel was angered by the incident, comparing it to "attempted manslaughter" post-race, calling on the UCI to take action, and saying his team would pursue police action against the perpetrator, calling for a trial.
"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," he said. "Hopefully, the police can identify the man because there has to be a trial for this."
On Monday morning, Het Nieuwsblad reported the comments of another spectator who had witnessed the incident and included a call-out for readers to submit information about the person's identity, however, later in the morning it was confirmed that someone had given themself up.
The person's identity is not public, but a spokesperson for the West Flanders prosecutor's office confirmed to Het Nieuwsblad that a man had handed himself in the MIRA Police Zone, which covers the areas of Waregem, Anzegem, Avelgem, Spiere-Helkijn, and Zwevegem.
Though the incident took place in France, it seems likely that the spectator who handed himself in may be from the Flanders region of Belgium.
It is not yet known if the man will be charged, or how any criminal proceedings would be handled, given the cross-border nature of the incident.
This is not the first time Van der Poel has been the victim of harassment from spectators, with beer being thrown at him during races on the road and in cyclocross, and most recently a spectator spat at him on his way to victory in the E3 Saxo Classic.
At last year's Paris-Roubaix, Van der Poel also had a cap thrown at him on his way to solo victory.
In 2024, the Belgian arm of the riders' union the CPA filed civil legal proceedings against spectators who threw beer during the Tour of Flanders, but no outcome of that action has been made public yet.
Van der Poel himself was charged with common assault and fined in Australia after a confrontation with two teenage girls on the eve of the World Championships road race in 2022, but he later had the conviction and fine overturned.
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