Paris-Roubaix: Cap-throwing incident 'could have ended' Mathieu van der Poel's season - Adam Blythe

ByEurosport

Updated 07/04/2024 at 21:06 GMT

Mathieu van der Poel managed to avoid all the customary chaos to coast to victory at Paris-Roubaix, but there was an unsavoury incident with just over 40km to go when a fan appeared to throw a cap towards his back wheel. Eurosport's 'The Breakaway' team of Adam Blythe, Dani Rowe and Dan Lloyd reacted to the incident, and assessed what could have to be done in future to prevent similar situations.

Mathieu van der Poel's season "could have been ended" by the fan who appeared to throw a cap towards the Dutchman's back wheel during Paris-Roubaix, Adam Blythe said on Eurosport's The Breakaway.

Van der Poel was consummate as he sauntered to victory on the cobbles of Northern France, but was fortunate to avoid mishap with 42.2km to go when the incident occurred.

There have been numerous crashes in recent weeks in elite cycling, but this would have been an entirely avoidable one, and it was subject to discussion by the Eurosport panel afterwards.

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Dan Lloyd began: "We saw at 42.2km to go that one of the fans threw a casquette - a sort of cloth cap - fairly deliberately that looks, I think I'm right in saying, into the back wheel of Mathieu van der Poel.

"[It's] unlikely anything would have happened from that, but it goes on from last week in Flanders where a few people saw beer being thrown, there's a lot of booing - I think booing's probably fine - but you can't throw stuff at the riders at any point."

London 2012 gold medallist Dani Rowe added: "It's just ridiculous, we're talking about rider safety aren't we? The riders being in control somewhat of their own safety, but the fans have got to take control as well. That's just absolutely ridiculous."

• Van der Poel says long-range attack 'not really' planned, admits being 'lost for words'
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Former Lotto-Soudal rider Blythe pointed out that it was an act that could not only have taken the victory away from Van der Poel on the day, but that it could have curtailed the Dutchman's season.

"It's disrespectful," he said. "Everything around that, they [the perpetrators] don't understand the preparation before it, they don't understand all the sacrifice he's made.

"That could have been a crash that could have ended his season, not just that race. That's what they don't understand with it.

"They don't understand the whole expense of the team, his life, his family, everything around it that could just go down like that."

After similar incidents at other races - including at the Tour of Flanders and in cyclo-cross earlier this season where fans allegedly threw cups of beer and urine at Van der Poel - race organisers have begun processes to start identifying the perpetrators.

'Hard to believe, lost for words' - Van der Poel reacts to glorious Paris-Roubaix triumph

On that move, Lloyd said: "It seems like a really good step doesn't it? We can identify them hopefully, because it's such a small, small minority that could potentially spoil things for the rest.

"I don't think they're going to barrier the entire length of the 57kms of cobbles each year, but they might start to do something which makes the fans stand further back so that they can't impede the riders in the way that we sometimes see.

"One of the great parts of this sport is that you can get so up close and personal but don't touch them or throw anything at them."

Paris-Roubaix highlights as Van der Poel goes back-to-back

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