The Belgian police have arrested a ‘cycling fan’ for throwing a cup of beer at cyclist Marianne Vos. The beer incident happened on Saturday during the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the race won by the rider from Babyloniënbroek. Afterwards, however, it was mainly about the beer incident. Her team, Team Visma Lease A Bike, is happy that the police are taking the matter seriously.
“Emotion is part of sport, but this behavior is absolutely unacceptable. It is complete madness to treat athletes like this,” said press officer Sander Kleikers.
The moment the beer thrower struck was broadcast on television. “Immediately after the incident, we took all necessary steps and acted decisively,” says Chief Constable Patrice De Mets of the Geraardsbergen police.
Kleikers: “It is very good that this is being taken seriously. Marianne responded very politely to it during the competition, but it is of course crazy what happened. And there are more athletes who have been treated very badly by individuals. Booing can happen sometimes, but when people really get physical, they cross a clear line.”
“Riders suffer from it.”
The incident caused outrage within the peloton, but also beyond. “In general, there are fantastic fans on the sidelines, that is ultimately what we do it for. However, such incidents create an unpleasant feeling, riders suffer from it. I really hope that this example ensures that these types of incidents do not occur in the future. As a society, let’s show that we don’t find this normal at all.”
After about 8 seconds you see the cycling fan throwing a cup of beer at Marianne Vos.
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Mathieu van der Poel was also recently pelted, cycling public in Hulst, Zeeland, allegedly doused him with urine and beer