Mathieu van der Poel fined £900 for assaulting teen in team hotel

Mathieu van der Poel was fined A$1,500 (£910) and allowed to return to Europe after being arrested on Sunday morning.

The 27-year-old was taken to Kogarah police station the night before the men’s elite road race at the World Championships after an altercation with two teenage girls who had been knocking on the door of his hotel room. He was charged with two counts of common assault and was released on conditional bail.

Van der Poel’s court appearance was scheduled for Tuesday but was brought forward at the request of his lawyers to allow him to fly home today.

As a result of the incident, Dutch publication NOS reported that van der Poel was fined $1000 for pushing one of the girls and $500 for confronting the other. He also regained his passport, which was confiscated at the time of his arrest.

The Dutchman’s lawyer Michael Bow said: “His partner was in tears and he himself was very disappointed with the outcome.

“He told me he felt he had let his country and his team down.”

Bowe added that cyclists who chose not to comment on the legal process plan to appeal the ruling.

A 27-year-old man, later revealed to be Vanderpool, was arrested at a Sydney hotel on Saturday night, a NSW Police statement showed. “It was further alleged that the man then pushed two teens, one to the ground and the other to the wall, causing minor abrasions to her elbows,” the statement said.

Following the incident, Van der Poel told Belgian media Sporza that he did not return from the police station until 4am, six hours before the start of the road race.

“It’s been a disaster, but I can’t change anything anymore. I’m trying to do my best.”

The 27-year-old added: “I went to bed early and many of the kids in the hallway of my room found it necessary to knock on the door. After a few times, I finished it. I didn’t ask kindly to stop. Then the police were called.”

Despite his arrest, van der Poel made it to the starting line in the road race, but withdrew after just 30 kilometers.