Bidon thrower sent apology letter to van der Poel: "Happy he won the race"

It was the most highlighted story of Paris-Roubaix 2025: a man threw a bidon in the face of Mathieu van der Poel as the Dutch cyclist raced over the cobblestones. Consequences soon followed, and the perpetrator turned himself in to the Belgian police on Sunday night. He then wrote a letter addressed to Alpecin-Deceuninck. 'To Mathieu van der Poel' was the subject line of his email to the Belgian team.

The bidon thrower gave further explanation to HLN on Tuesday, also to apologize publicly. "Of course, I wanted to do that first and foremost to Mathieu van der Poel himself," said the Belgian, who is in his twenties and who, despite his actions, was satisfied with the victory of the Dutch rider. 'I am so happy that he won the race on Sunday - despite my stupid action. But at the same time, I realize that I must apologize to every cyclist or cycling fan."

To better understand what happened on Sunday in northern France, the Belgian explains what led to his antics. "We arrived around 11 o'clock (local time). We had a few drinks in the nearby tent while waiting for the riders to reach the section where we stood. And yes, I must admit that I had had a little too much to drink," he says, referring to the alcoholic refreshments consumed that day.

Read more below the photo!

Van der Poel won Paris-Roubaix for third year in a row after being hit by a bidon in the face

"I can't explain it," said the man who threw the bidon

"I saw the yellow bidon in the grass between the tent and that cobblestone section," he continued his story. "Maybe one of the juniors had discarded it that morning. Without thinking too much about it, I picked it up. It wasn't completely full, but some water was still in it." He was holding the bidon when van der Poel passed by. "I made a stupid decision and threw the bidon." Why did he do that? "I've been asking myself that ever since, but I can't explain it. It was an extremely foolish impulse; I can't explain it any other way."

The person who threw the bidon immediately realized what consequences his action could have. "I felt so bad when I hit him. Within half a second, I had already regretted what I had done. Part of me was very happy that he didn't hit the ground. But why did I do it? How could I be so stupid? What would happen to me now?"

Read more below the photo!

Throwing the bidon toward Mathieu van der Poel

Perpetrator "hopes the whole thing will blow over soon"

Plenty of footage was shared on social media during the race, but after the finish, a real hunt began, as the Belgian himself witnessed. After he returned to Belgium, he stayed at home and only went outside when he turned himself in. "That one stupid second has caused me to end up in an incredible media storm. It seems like everyone is talking about me now. I know I was wrong and will take responsibility, but I hope everything will blow over soon."

His lawyer, Peter Desmet, agrees. "My client will take his legal responsibility. Of course, we would prefer to settle this between the parties involved, but he also understands that people are making an issue of principle. Of course, the incident happened in France, and the two people involved - himself and the cyclist - live in Belgium. So it won't be easy. But we will accept the consequences that will inevitably follow."

Finally, the fact that the bidon was yellow suggested to many that it was a Visma | Lease a Bike bidon. This also suggested that the perpetrator was probably a fan of the Dutch team, and they reacted disapprovingly to the incident. The perpetrator himself wants to deny this. "Whether I am a fan of Wout Van Aert and wanted to obstruct his opponent? I don't have a favorite rider," the Belgian man concludes.

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