World Cycling Championships: Van der Poel arrested before World Championship race
DPA
· 25.09.2022
Big trouble for cycling star Mathieu van der Poel at the World Championships in Australia: The Dutchman, who had travelled to the event as one of the favourites, was briefly arrested by the police on the eve of the road race because of an assault in his hotel. The penalty for the Dutch cycling star has now been finalised.
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There had been an altercation with two children who had knocked on his door several times. According to reports, one girl's arm was injured.
The 27-year-old was charged with two counts of assault and was released on bail early Sunday morning. Van der Poel has to appear in court on Tuesday. The former cyclo-cross world champion started the road race, but abandoned after just over an hour.
Van der Poel speaks out
"It's true, yes. There was a little argument," van der Poel told Belgian TV channel Sporza before the start. "It was about noisy neighbours and they are pretty strict here." He had gone to bed early. However, many children in the corridor had found it necessary to knock on the door of his room. "After a few times, I was done with it. I didn't ask nicely to stop. Then the police were called. I wasn't back in my room until 4 o'clock. That's certainly not ideal. It's a disaster, but there's nothing I can do about it."
Police confirm the incident
New South Wales Police later confirmed that a 27-year-old man was arrested and charged after allegedly being involved in an altercation with two teenage girls at a Sydney hotel. He allegedly pushed the two girls, causing one to fall and the other to hit a wall and suffer a minor graze to her elbow.
Van der Poel was one of the favourites at the World Championships. The classics specialist has already won several tough one-day races such as the Tour of Flanders, the Amstel Gold Race and Strade Bianche. In 2021, the grandson of cycling legend Raymond Poulidor won the second stage of the Tour de France and wore the yellow jersey for six days.
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