A Dutch cycling star has been left “mentally broken” and pulled out of a world championship race in Sydney, Australia, after being charged with assaulting two teenage girls at his hotel. Cycling superstar Mathieu van der Poel said he was arrested after confronting a group of teenagers who repeatedly knocked on his hotel door in a game gone wrong. The 27-year-old was reportedly charged with two counts of common assault and pulled out of the 2022 UCI Road World Championships, a 165-mile race being held in Wollongong, less than an hour into the race. According to reports, the rider pushed two teenagers who were playing a game of “knock and run” at his hotel room door. “It’s true, yes. There was a small dispute. It was about noisy neighbors and they are quite strict here,” Van der Poel told Sporza. “I went to bed early and many children in the hallway of my room found it necessary to knock on the door continuously. After a few times I was done with it. I didn’t ask so nicely to stop. Then the police were called and I was taken. I wasn’t back in my room until 4 o’clock. That’s certainly not ideal. It’s a disaster, but I can’t change anything anymore. I’m trying to make the best of it.” He was released on bail and will appear in Sutherland court on Tuesday.
