The person who spat on cyclist Mathieu van der Poel during the E3 Saxo Bank Classic last month has been found and fined, Belgian police said.
Van der Poel, who won the race on March 28, was spat on while leading alone with about 30km to go in Ronse, East Flanders.
The East Flanders prosecutor confirmed to BBC Sport that the Ronse police identified the person, who admitted to spitting on the Dutch cyclist.
According to police, the individual will be fined up to £300 (350 euros), and no further legal action will be taken.
During the Paris-Roubaix race on Sunday, Van der Poel, who was leading alone, was hit in the face by a water bottle. Despite this, he still won the race for the third year in a row, matching the event’s record.
The next day, a man went to a police station in West Flanders and admitted to throwing the bottle. Now, the public prosecutor will decide what to do.
Van der Poel, 30, has faced problems with spectators before. In December 2023, he spat at fans during a cyclocross race in the Netherlands, saying he was tired of being booed and having things thrown at him. In April, someone threw beer at him during the Tour of Flanders.