Van der Poel demands action after being hit in face by projectile at Paris-Roubaix
The 30-year-old is a huge star on the road cycling scene but is not universally popular and has had his share of run-ins with fans over the years.
"It was like getting hit by a stone. The bottle was nearly full and weighed half a kilo and when someone throws it like that it's not nothing," he said in his post-race press conference at the Roubaix velodrome.
The incident happened 37km from the end of the race on a cobbled mining road packed with fans, who had been out in the fields for hours.
"Something should be done about it. People spitting and throwing things, it's too much and I'm going to ask for action to be taken," he said.
"I hope we can identify who did it and take action."
Van der Poel was spat upon at the recent E3 Saxo Classic in Belgium, where he was roundly booed by an unruly section of the Belgian fans.
He has frequently had urine thrown at him on the cyclocross circuit and also had a confrontation with a fan in a spitting incident in 2024.
Van der Poel was himself arrested after a run-in with teenagers who he accused of playing 'knock-a-door-run' on his hotel door on the eve of the 2022 world championship race, for which he was the favourite.
CCTV images showed Van der Poel dressed only in underwear chasing the teenagers back to their room.
He pulled out of the race after 50km having spent the night at a police station.
dmc/nf/iwd
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Prosecutors to seek death penalty for man accused of killing 2 police officers in Utah
TREMONTON, Utah (AP) — Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for a man accused of fatally shooting two police officers in northern Utah last weekend, according to new court documents. Ryan Michael Bate faces 20 charges, including two counts of capital murder, for the deaths of Sgt. Lee Sorensen and Officer Eric Estrada. The Box Elder County Attorney's Office filed a notice to the court late Wednesday that they plan to seek the death penalty for Bate. Police say Bate, 30, killed the officers from the Tremonton-Garland Police Department with a high-powered rifle while they were responding to a domestic disturbance call at his home. Bate's wife had called 911 and hung up multiple times to get help after Bate 'slammed her head with a door, and grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against the wall,' according to charging documents. She later told police he had repeatedly threatened to kill her. Box Elder County sheriff's deputy Mike Allred and his police K-9 Azula, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, arrived at the scene as backup and were injured in the shooting. Bystanders persuaded Bate to drop the gun and he was taken into custody. Bate was arrested last year on aggravated assault and domestic violence charges that were later dismissed, according to court records. He was charged late Wednesday with several counts of assault and domestic violence, in addition to the murder and attempted murder charges. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters on Thursday that he thinks it is appropriate for prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case.
San Francisco Chronicle
7 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
In the US Open's qualifying tournament, the smaller sportswear brands can shine
NEW YORK (AP) — Tennis apparel sponsorship is a big business. It is also one that, among the top players, is dominated by a small group of industry titans. Brands like Nike, Adidas and Asics provide the outfits for most of the top 100, with their recognizable logos splashed across the shirts and skirts of Grand Slam favorites. But if one looks beyond that upper echelon and into the U.S. Open's qualifying tournament – where lower-ranked players compete for spots in the main draw – there's a world of local startups and small clothing businesses making their way into the booming tennis business. For many players in the qualifying tournament, their apparel sponsors are companies local to their home country. These companies often specifically seek out their countrymen. 'It's key to sponsor and help our Swiss players,' said Laura Tolub, the chief operating officer of Fourteen Company. Fourteen is a small sportswear brand based in Geneva, Switzerland, that sponsors a couple of Swiss players in the qualifying draw. 'It doesn't mean we're only sponsoring Swiss players, but it's important to us to … be there for them.' That country connection is often important on the player's side, too. Swiss player Marc-Andrea Hüsler, ranked 228th, won his second round qualifying match Thursday afternoon in Fourteen apparel. 'It's a Swiss brand, so I wanted to do something with the Swiss if possible,' he said about his decision to join the brand two years ago. 'They were new and they were building up.' They've built into a tight-knit community, according to Tolub. '(Some players) want to have the feeling they are part of a family, which Fourteen is,' she said. 'It's more of a family than a big brand.' Arianne Hartono went a similar route. She is sponsored by The Indian Maharadja, a Dutch company known for its hockey clothing and based out of Nieuwkuijk, a small town of about 5,000 people. 'They were a very small startup, like three, four years ago,' Hartono said. 'They approached me through social media, they just came at me and said, 'Hey, we're a small company, we want to start coming into tennis.'' She agreed, and their spiral logo was on full display as the Dutch player, ranked 158th, made her way into the third round of the qualifying tournament with a tight victory Thursday afternoon. Other qualifiers look for the right fit beyond country lines. Argentine Marco Trungelliti, ranked No. 183rd, found one with personal ties. His match clothes are made by a small upstart in Mexico called Lega, an apparel brand that's run by 'a friend of a friend,' who the Argentine said he has become quite close with through their time working together. His shirts have been getting attention from keen-eyed fans – at the French Open, his top had a large Eiffel Tower design, and now in the U.S. Open's qualifying rounds, it's a Statue of Liberty. 'It's a complete new run,' he said of the New York City shirt, which was designed and manufactured by Lega specifically for his U.S. Open matches. 'I'm not a designer at all, but I had some opinions in there,' he said after winning his second round qualifying match. 'But this one was completely on (the Lega designer), and I loved it.'
7 hours ago
In the US Open's qualifying tournament, the smaller sportswear brands can shine
NEW YORK -- Tennis apparel sponsorship is a big business. It is also one that, among the top players, is dominated by a small group of industry titans. Brands like Nike, Adidas and Asics provide the outfits for most of the top 100, with their recognizable logos splashed across the shirts and skirts of Grand Slam favorites. But if one looks beyond that upper echelon and into the U.S. Open's qualifying tournament – where lower-ranked players compete for spots in the main draw – there's a world of local startups and small clothing businesses making their way into the booming tennis business. For many players in the qualifying tournament, their apparel sponsors are companies local to their home country. These companies often specifically seek out their countrymen. 'It's key to sponsor and help our Swiss players,' said Laura Tolub, the chief operating officer of Fourteen Company. Fourteen is a small sportswear brand based in Geneva, Switzerland, that sponsors a couple of Swiss players in the qualifying draw. 'It doesn't mean we're only sponsoring Swiss players, but it's important to us to … be there for them.' That country connection is often important on the player's side, too. Swiss player Marc-Andrea Hüsler, ranked 228th, won his second round qualifying match Thursday afternoon in Fourteen apparel. 'It's a Swiss brand, so I wanted to do something with the Swiss if possible,' he said about his decision to join the brand two years ago. 'They were new and they were building up.' They've built into a tight-knit community, according to Tolub. '(Some players) want to have the feeling they are part of a family, which Fourteen is,' she said. 'It's more of a family than a big brand.' Arianne Hartono went a similar route. She is sponsored by The Indian Maharadja, a Dutch company known for its hockey clothing and based out of Nieuwkuijk, a small town of about 5,000 people. 'They were a very small startup, like three, four years ago,' Hartono said. 'They approached me through social media, they just came at me and said, 'Hey, we're a small company, we want to start coming into tennis.'' She agreed, and their spiral logo was on full display as the Dutch player, ranked 158th, made her way into the third round of the qualifying tournament with a tight victory Thursday afternoon. Other qualifiers look for the right fit beyond country lines. Argentine Marco Trungelliti, ranked No. 183rd, found one with personal ties. His match clothes are made by a small upstart in Mexico called Lega, an apparel brand that's run by 'a friend of a friend,' who the Argentine said he has become quite close with through their time working together. His shirts have been getting attention from keen-eyed fans – at the French Open, his top had a large Eiffel Tower design, and now in the U.S. Open's qualifying rounds, it's a Statue of Liberty. 'It's a complete new run,' he said of the New York City shirt, which was designed and manufactured by Lega specifically for his U.S. Open matches. 'I'm not a designer at all, but I had some opinions in there,' he said after winning his second round qualifying match. 'But this one was completely on (the Lega designer), and I loved it.'
