26/09/2022

Update: Mathieu van der Poel allowed to fly back into Europe, banned from Australia for 3 years

Mathieu van der Poel's World Championships in Wollongong were nothing but a nightmare, but the situation has, luckily for the Dutchman, not escalated as he is set to return home to the Netherlands this Monday.

After being involved in an altercation with two young girls at the hotel the Dutch team were staying at the night before the Elite Road Race, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was arrested and spent most of the night in jail. His passport was taken, and sources indicated he could spend up to six weeks in Australia because of the incident.

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Van der Poel had a disastrous Mixed Relay TTT where two of his four teammates either crashed or suffered mechanicals, not allowing the team to fight for the medals. And in the Road Race he abandoned shortly after the start, leaving Australia empty handed, but perhaps with an empty wallet too, as he had to pay around €1000 in fines for the altercations, in which he is said to have pushed both teenage girls in the hallway of the hotel after they repeatedly knocked on his door.

However, he trial was moved from Tuesday to Monday at request of his lawyer, who also hopes for an acquittal. In either cases, a massive weight must have been taken off van der Poel's shoulders as his passport was given back, and he was able to fly back into the Netherlands together with the rest of the Dutch entourage.

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Update: Following the trial, Wide World of Sports has reported that the Dutch rider has been allowed to leave the country, but has also been banned from entering it again for the coming three years.