The man who threw a bottle against the head of Mathieu van der Poel on Sunday during the Paris-Roubaix cycling race has expressed regret. Through his lawyer, the suspect told the Belgian Medium HLN for the first time. “Within half a second I already regretted that I had thrown.”
The man also sent a letter to Van der Poel personally, reports HLN.
“We had drunk something in the tent in the area. In the lawn between the tent and that cobblestone strip I saw that yellow water bottle. Perhaps one of the juniors who had thrown away in the morning. Without thinking much, I picked it up. He was not completely full, but there was still something in it,” is the explanation of the bidongyier.
“Mathieu van der Poel approached and when he passed, I made that stupid decision and I threw that bottle. Why I did that? I’ve been wondering about it since then, but I have no explanation for it. I realize that I have to apologize for every rider and race lover.”
It was speculated that the man might be a fan of Wout van Aert, a rival from Van der Poel, but that will be refuted: “Absolutely not, I don’t have a favorite rider at all.”
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“I felt so bad when I hit him. Within half the second I already regretted I had thrown. On the one hand I was very happy that he wasn’t fell. But why did I do that? How could I be so stupid now? What would happen to me now?”
“That one stupid second has ensured that I ended up in an incredible media storm. It seems like everyone is talking about me now. I know I was wrong and I will bear my responsibility, but I hope that the dust can lie down again soon.”
In the video below you can see how Van der Poel is hit by the bottle:
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