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Mathieu Van Der Poel protagonist of an extremely controversial episode at the Cycling World Championships in Australia! The cyclist, the big favorite for the final story, was forced to retire after spending a night at the police station.
The Dutch champion was stopped and detained at the Kogarah police station due to a quarrel with two girls aged 13 and 14, who allegedly annoyed him with screams and shouts in the corridors of the hotel where he was staying.
The cyclist was reported for assault by the girls' parents. When questioned about the incident, the cyclist was punished with the withdrawal of his passport and called to appear next Tuesday in Sydney before the judge.
Van der Poel: "There was a little discussion"
The Dutchman said about the issue: "I went to bed early and young people started knocking on every door in the corridor where my room was.
After a while it got bored and I asked to stop, too. if not very kindly. There was a little argument. At that point the police were called and I was taken away. I went back to my room at four in the morning, a disaster." Son of Adrie van der Poel and grandson of Raymond Poulidor, both already cyclists, he is a versatile athlete.
In the cyclocross specialty he has won four Elite world titles, in 2015, 2019, 2020 and 2021, one World Cup, three European titles, four Superprestige and two DVV Verzekeringen Trofee. On the road he was silver in line at the 2018 European Championships and won the Amstel Gold Race 2019, the Giro delle Flandre 2020 and 2022, the Strade Bianche 2021, a stage in the Tour de France 2021 and a stage in the Giro d'Italia 2022; in cross country on mountain bike he was bronze at the 2018 world championships and 2019 European champion.