After being accused of molesting two young girls, a Dutch cycling great shockingly withdrew from a world championship road race on Sunday.
Following his arrest and charge only hours before the event, Mathieu van der Poel, 27, who was one of the favorites to win the 266.9km race in Wollongong, south of Sydney, which will serve as the 2022 UCI Road World Championships, will appear in court.
The 13 and 14-year-old girls allegedly played a knock-and-run prank on the athlete’s door at the Novotel in Brighton Le Sands on Saturday night as he tried to get some rest before the marathon, prompting the athlete, according to police, to physically confront them.
Following his arrest on two charges of child abuse, police from Sydney’s St. George Command have taken Van der Poel’s passport before his Sutherland Court appearance on September 27.
The biker, who wasn’t released from police custody until 4 am, dropped out of the race after an hour due to weariness.
Before the race, he told the Belgian website Sporza, “I went to bed early and several kids in the corridor of my room deemed it necessary to bang on the door repeatedly.”
I got tired of it after using it a few times. I didn’t beg you to quit so sweetly. Then I was seized and the cops were called.
I didn’t get back to my room until 4 p.m. It’s clear that’s not ideal. Even if it’s a catastrophe, there is nothing I can do about it.
According to NSW Police, Van der Poel shoved the two females, causing one of them to trip and the other to strike a wall and scrape her elbow slightly.
The incident was reported to the hotel management, who subsequently phoned the police, according to a statement from the NSW police.
‘Officers from St George police area command arrived and soon afterwards, a male, 27, was taken into custody.’
The race was set to begin at 10.15am, and van der Poel was transported to the Kogarah police station where he stayed until 4am.
Van der Poel started the race despite having just a short sleep, but he eventually gave it up about 11am.
He was granted bail and will show up in court on Tuesday in Sutherland.
One of the favorites to take home the rainbow jersey was the four-time cyclocross world champion and 2013 junior world road race winner.