More is known about the man who threw full bidon at Mathieu van der Poel's face: "At first he denied it, but his look betrayed doubt"
Cycling
At Paris-Roubaix, the unthinkable happened. Mathieu van der Poel has in the past unfortunately been thrown beer, urine and even spat on. But this Sunday at Paris-Roubaix, minutes before his triumphant third victory, he was thrown a full Visma bidon. The man who has done it has been identified in the meantime and more details are revealed about the incident.
This happened in one of the final cobbled sectors. In Belgium, where the man turned himself into the police this Sunday night, there was quick to work out who was the individual and what were the motivations behind such an unreasonable act.
It turns out he is a Belgian fan who travelled to the race with a group of Matej Mohoric supporters. “The board does not know the man personally," club chairman Rutger Goeminne shared with Het Laatste Nieuws however. "Every year for Paris-Roubaix we arrange a bus from Ghent to a cobblestone section. There are loyal members on it, but also acquaintances without a membership card to keep the costs down. This man was one of those people.”
After what happened, it would still be impossible to identify him through TV footage. However people on site had a different perspective, and he was questioned about it. “After the race we took him aside on the bus. At first he denied it, but his look betrayed doubt. Eventually he gave in. He was very ashamed. On Sunday evening he went to the police in Waregem himself. He told us that he was not himself and wanted to apologize to everyone. He is very sorry.”
The Belgian news outlet reports that the man had been under the influence of alcohol, and the recent passing of a family member may have also influenced the nonsensical actions of this Sunday: "Since his death, he has said he doesn't know what to do with himself".
As did the Visma team (because it was one of the team's bidons), Goeminne also defends the club, setting it apart from the actions that the individual did: "We have absolutely nothing against Mathieu van der Poel. We are even fans. It is a pleasure to watch him at work.”
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Van der Poel reçoit un bidon dans le visage, en pleine course, et on pense toutes et tous la même chose que Steve Chainel 🤬 #ParisRoubaix #LesRP pic.twitter.com/8hVKDH2fsW
— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) April 13, 2025
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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