Pogacar and Evenepoel could face fines up to €4,000 following railway-crossing incident at Tour of Flanders

We're used to seeing sprint trains or mountain trains in the peloton, but the naming ancestor of those - a means of public transport - had come close to becoming an unlikely protagonist of this year's Tour of Flanders. And no, unlike the legendary debut edition of Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 1892, this time no tired cyclists hopped onto a train in Bastogne to drive them back to the start/finish city.

As peloton approached a railway crossing in Wichelen, the signal lights turned red moments before pelotons arrival. As the bunch approached at a considerable speed, some were unable to react in time and passed just before the barriers came down. Among those Tadej Pogacar or Remco Evenepoel.

Meanwhile Mathieu van der Poel or Wout Van Aert were cut off by the crossing, leaving the race momentarily divided.

The race officials reacted quickly, briefly pausing the Tour of Flanders to recreate room for the former race situation to be reinstalled. Thus, neither the breakaway nor front of the peloton would have gained an unfair advantage and race could proceed as if nothing had happened... but not in the eyes of Belgian law!

The law stipulates that one must stop at a red light, even if the barriers have not yet come down. Ignoring a red light is a fourth-degree traffic offense in Belgium. Naturally, it is also forbidden to ignore a red light during a race.

The UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) did not intervene, and there is a good reason for that. The cycling federation has reviewed the footage numerous times and believes that stopping could have had worse consequences. Braking could have caused a crash, and just imagine if someone had ended up on the tracks.

However, the East Flanders Public Prosecutor's Office intends to prosecute the riders judicially. The fine ranges between 320 and 4,000 euros. The judge will also always impose a driving ban of at least eight days.

At Infrabel, they reacted with disappointment to the images. "It is very unfortunate that something like this happens at the moment the red light comes on and the barriers close," says spokesperson Frédéric Petit. "Traffic regulations are very clear on this: you must stop at a red light. That also applies during a cycling race."

According to Petit, the incident is particularly painful because it was watched by millions of viewers. "One and a half million Flemish people watch the race. It is, of course, a very bad example when riders ignore such a signal, especially since we conduct many awareness campaigns regarding safety at level crossings."