Man who hurled bottle at van der Poel ‘had too much to drink'
A Belgian man has apologised for throwing a plastic bottle at cyclist Mathieu van der Poel during the Paris-Roubaix race, commenting he had 'drunk a lot'.
The 28-year-old, from Waregem, Belgium, expressed remorse in an email to Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, calling his actions "stupid and dangerous".
He explained that he picked up a discarded water bottle and impulsively threw it as Van der Poel rode past.
"A water bottle was in the grass. I picked it up and threw it when he passed. Without thinking. Half a second later, I realised how stupid and dangerous it was.
The man, who admitted to having "drunk a lot" that day, said the incident left him feeling ashamed.
He apologised to Van der Poel, his fellow competitors, and cycling fans. He also expressed relief that Van der Poel went on to win the race, despite the disruption.
Dutch Alpecin-Deceuninck rider Van der Poel was struck in the face by the bottle while riding solo at high speed over a cobbled section with 33km remaining.
Despite the blow, he went on to win the race for the third consecutive year.
French prosecutors opened an investigation into "violence with a weapon" shortly after the incident. The Lille public prosecutor, Carole Etienne, confirmed authorities were working to identify and arrest the suspect on Tuesday.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) labelled the act "unacceptable behaviour".
"Such behaviour cannot be tolerated in the context of a cycling event," the UCI said in a statement. "We express our support for the rider and will explore all legal avenues to ensure such actions are duly and severely punished."
Van der Poel himself called the act dangerous and urged tougher consequences for spectators who threaten rider safety.
"It's not normal," he told reporters. "It was a full bottle... It was like a stone hitting my face. This is really something we have to take legal action against."
His team confirmed plans to file a formal complaint, describing the incident as part of a broader pattern of dangerous fan behaviour often linked to excessive alcohol consumption.
"It jeopardises the safety of our riders, overshadows the enjoyment and reputation of genuine cycling enthusiasts, and diverts attention from the sporting achievements," the team said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
11 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Dawn French apologises after ‘mocking tone' in video about Israel-Hamas conflict
The Vicar Of Dibley actress posted a video on social media this week in which she switched between her normal voice and a higher pitched voice. In the video about the conflict, she said: 'Complicated, no, but nuanced', adding: 'Bottom line is, no.' Then at one point she said in the higher pitched voice: 'Yeah, but you know they did a bad thing to us.' French has now posted a statement on X saying she has taken down the video and apologised, saying her intention was never 'to mock, or dismiss, or diminish the horror of what happened' on October 7 2023. The statement, posted on Saturday, says: 'Ok, it's important to address this. 'I posted a video in the style I've been using for social media in an effort to convey an important point. I clumsily used a mocking tone. 'My intention was NEVER to mock, or dismiss, or diminish the horror of what happened on 7 October 2023 and what continues to unfold from that brutal unthinkable, unforgivable, savage attack. 'My heart broke for the many innocent people and their families that were killed, tortured, r@ped and kidnapped. The fact that hostages are still held is utterly appalling. 'My intention was to mock and point the finger of shame at the behaviour of the cruel leaders on ALL sides of this atrocious war, who have continued to behave like the worst, dangerous, sickening bullies and seem to relish the tyrannical and childish oneupmanship of the violence. THEY were my target, but clearly I failed to do that, and that's on me. I apologise unreservedly. I'm particularly sorry that my disgust at Hamas didn't figure. It appeared one-sided, and that is wrong. 'I am a person, who like many others, is feeling increasingly helpless and hopeless as we witness the carnage and destruction worsen. The images of starving and wounded children have haunted me day and night. History has taught us never to stand by and allow this kind of inhumane violence to be wrought on anyone, especially innocent children. 'I have felt my silence is complicit or even somehow sanctioning. So in my small way I wanted to voice my desire to say NO – to BOTH sides – to any further violence. 'I hope you will understand my intention was not to offend, but clearly I have. For which I'm sorry and I have removed the video.'
Belfast Telegraph
15 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
‘Every day has tears': Belfast mum of Nóra Quoirin describes her heartbreak almost six years after daughter's death
Nóra Quoirin, who would have turned 21 last week, vanished from her room at the Dusun rainforest resort in 2019. Her body was found nine days after she went missing. An inquest initially recorded her death was by misadventure, but her mother Meabh has always believed her child was abducted. A second inquest returned an open verdict, with the judge agreeing with the family that Nóra could not have made her way through the jungle on her own. In a new interview with The Irish Times, Meabh said she does not believe anyone will ever be brought to justice for Nóra's death. 'The judge did say it was highly probable Nóra had been abducted and led there by someone else, but of course we just don't have proof of that, and I don't think we'll ever have answers,' she said. She added: 'I have zero faith in Malaysia ever paying attention to Nóra's case again. 'In the end, I try not to carry any anger. I don't think I do carry any anger.' Nora lived in London and was the daughter of French-Irish parents Sebastien and Meabh, who is from Belfast. The 15-year-old was born with holoprosencephaly, which affects brain development, and was described by her family as 'vulnerable'. When she disappeared from her hotel room her parents raised fears she had been taken. However, police in Malaysia said they found no evidence of abduction or kidnapping. A post-mortem examination revealed Nóra died from internal bleeding probably caused by hunger and stress. Her funeral took place in Belfast, and she is buried in Milltown Cemetery. Meabh told The Irish Times she still has photographs of her daughter on her walls. 'I can't bring myself to take any of them off the wall,' she added. 'So I just go around the house looking at them and talking to her and laughing about the stupid stuff she would laugh at and crying. Every day has tears.' Meabh marked what would have been Nora's 21st birthday with a trip to Hillsborough Forest Park. 'We went to Hillsborough for a picnic, with her [favourite] chocolate cake, and there were purple rhododendrons and purple flowers absolutely everywhere, and it was almost like this display had been put on for her birthday,' she added. 'She might not be standing physically beside me, but my universe is still filled with Nóra, constantly.'
The Sun
18 hours ago
- The Sun
Putin's secret daughter, 22, ‘working in anti-war art gallery in Paris' after ‘ditching tyrant's name'
VLADIMIR Putin's alleged secret daughter is reportedly working at two Parisian art galleries that showcase anti-war exhibitions. Elizaveta Krivonogikh, 22 – also known as Luiza Rozova and now Elizaveta Rudnova – is said to be rubbing shoulders with Russian dissidents and Ukrainian artists in the French capital. 6 6 6 6 Reports say she is working at L Galerie in Belleville and Espace Albatros in Montreuil, despite being the daughter of a regime responsible for the war they oppose. Both galleries are said to be known for exhibiting anti-war art, according to outlet Meduza, citing a Russian artist. She also reportedly dropped the Putin-linked name and adopted one tied to Oleg Rudnov, a late Vlad ally - in an apparent attempt to mask her ties to the Kremlin tyrant. Her role as gallery manager includes helping organise shows and make videos, and it has seemed to spark fury among exiled Russians and Ukrainians. Artist Nastya Rodionova, who fled Russia in 2022, said she couldn't stay silent. In a Facebook post, she wrote: 'It's important to say that I believe in the presumption of innocence and that children are not responsible for the crimes of their parents. 'But with the war reaching its heights it is inadmissible to allow a person who comes from a family of beneficiaries of [Putin's] regime to come into confrontation with the victims of that regime. 'We need to know who we are working with and decide whether we are ready for that. My personal answer in this case is no.' Dmitry Dolinsky, director of L Association that controls Studio Albatros and L Galerie, defended Rudnova's role. He told The Times: 'She looks like Putin but so do 100,000 other people. I haven't seen a DNA test.' Some insiders back her, calling her a 'cultured person' and 'excellent worker'. But Rodionova hit back, warning that victims of the war shouldn't be forced to share space with anyone tied to the regime – alleged daughter or not. Rudnova's mother, Svetlana Krivonogikh, was sanctioned by the UK in 2023 and linked to Putin's inner circle by independent Russian media. She reportedly owns property worth $100million and was outed as Putin's former mistress by the Proekt investigative team. Elizaveta vanished from Russian social media shortly before the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. She once flaunted a lavish lifestyle on Instagram, posting photos in designer clothes, sipping champagne, and DJing under the name Luiza Rozova. Ukrainian TV later claimed she was living in Paris with a passport under the name Rudnova, allegedly ditching the patronymic Vladimirovna, which would confirm her father's name as Vladimir. 6 6 Born in March 2003, Elizaveta has never publicly confirmed a link to the Russian tyrant. The Kremlin has never confirmed her existence either. But the timing of her birth, her resemblance to Putin, and her mother's major financial rise have fuelled years of speculation. Kremlin critics say she is part of the hidden empire Putin has built for his inner circle and family. Officially, Putin only acknowledges two daughters, Maria and Katerina, from his marriage to Lyudmila Putina, whom he divorced in 2014. But it's long been rumoured he has more children — including two sons with former gymnast Alina Kabaeva. Who are Vladimir Putin's daughters? VLADIMIR Putin is known for keeping his personal and family life very private, but some details about the tyrant's children have surfaced over the years. Maria Vorontsova (née Putin, born April 28, 1985): His eldest, 39, leads government-funded programs personally overseen by Putin, which have received billions from the Kremlin for genetic research. She is the first of two daughters of Putin and his ex-wife, Lyudmila Putina. Maria is said to be an expert in rare genetic diseases in children, and also dwarfism, according to reports. She was married to Dutch businessman Jorrit Faassen. In 2013, the couple were living in a penthouse in Voorschoten, the Netherlands, but the following year, Dutch residents called for her to be expelled following the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 by pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine. The pair are believed to have moved the Moscow the following year. In March 2022, it was reported that the couple had split after the war in Ukraine crushed Maria's dreams of opening a money-spinning clinic for wealthy foreigners in Russia Katerina Tikhonova (née Putin, born August 31, 1986): Also daughter of Putin and Lyudmila, 38-year-old Katerina is a tech boss whose work supports the Russian government and defence industry. She started as a "rock'n'roll" dancer before moving into the world of artificial intelligence. In 2013, his daughter Katerina married Kirill Shamalov, whose father, Nikolai, is a longtime friend of the president. Nikolai Shamalov is a shareholder in Bank Rossiya, described by US officials as the Russian elite's personal bank. They were married in a secret ceremony at the Igor ski resort just north of St Petersburg. It was reported at the time that the pair rode into the ceremony on a sleigh pulled by three white horses. All the guests invited were sworn to secrecy, and the Kremlin has never confirmed that the wedding took place. "I have a private life in which I do not permit interference," Putin once said. "It must be respected." The couple had corporate holdings worth around $2 billion, according to Reuters, mainly from their large stake in Sibur Holding, a major gas and petrochemical company Kirill bought from another long-time friend of Putin, Gennady Timchenko. Kirill also bought off Timchenko's luxury villa in the seaside resort of Biarritz, southern France, estimated to be worth some $3.7m. In March 2022, the house was taken over by pro-Ukraine activists, in response to Russia's brutal invasion. But Katerina and Kirill divorced in January 2018, with Putin's former son in law rumoured to have been romantically involved with London -based Russian socialite Zhanna Volkova. After the split, Kirill was said to be forced to give up his stocks in Sibur, and he lost almost half his wealth. Their divorce settlement hasn't been disclosed but likely runs into the millions. Despite that, Kirill is still worth an estimated $800 million. Putin was reported to be "quietly grooming" Katerina to be his successor. Vlad is also rumoured to have "hidden" children, though he has never confirmed these reports. Elizaveta Rozova (aka Luiza Rozova): Elizaveta, also known as Luiza Rozova, 21, is the rumoured love child from Putin's alleged affair with a former cleaner. The daughter of Svetlana Krivonogikh, who later became a millionaire, is now a fashion designer and DJ. She often shared details from her lavish life on Instagram, until suddenly taking down the page in the wake of the Ukraine war. Speculation also surrounds his supposed secret family with Alina Kabaeva, a former rhythmic gymnast once known as "the most flexible woman in Russia". Officials have denied that he has kids with Alina, but it is reported that she is in hiding in Switzerland, avoiding any possible sanctions in the wake of the Ukraine war. A petition demanding she is thrown out by the Swiss authorities has garnered 75,000 signatures, demanding that "it's time you reunite Eva Braun with her Führer". Alina retired from gymnastics and took a strange career turn to become a Russian MP. The former athlete - dubbed "Russia's First Mistress" - the Duma, the Russian parliament in 2007, representing her alleged lover's United Russia party but left years later to pick up a lucrative job running a media company, despite having no previous experience. In April, Alina's name and picture was dramatically stripped from the website of the media empire she controlled.
