The Latvian Cycling Federation has lodged a formal protest with the UCI regarding the non-disqualification of Mathieu van der Poel during the elite menโs road race at the World Championships. The protest stems from an incident when the Dutch rider rode onto a pavement, allegedly endangering spectators.
Van der Poel was seen bunnyhopping on and off the pavement with 58.4km remaining in the race. Such actions typically result in disqualification, as seen with Marlen Reusser at Gent Wevelgem earlier this year and Luke Rowe in the 2018 Tour of Flanders. Despite this, Van der Poel received no punishment, prompting the Latvian Federation to question the consistency and fairness of rule enforcement by the UCI.
Latviaโs Toms Skujiลลก finished fourth in the road race, trailing behind Van der Poel, who secured third place in Zรผrich. Tadej Pogaฤar won the race, with Ben OโConnor coming in second.
In an open letter, Sandis Akis, president of the Latvian Federation, wrote, โAccording to the rules, a rider jumping onto a walkway and endangering the public or other riders must be disqualified immediately. The issue isnโt merely that he was riding on the pavement, which would typically result in a fine of 200 to 1000 CHF; in this case, Van der Poel wasnโt even given a fine.โ
Akis further highlighted the danger to spectators, noting that Van der Poel nearly collided with one while overtaking three riders on a footpath. He stressed that such violations have consistently led to disqualification this year.
The referenced rule states that a fine of up to 1000 CHF, a 25 UCI point deduction, and/or a yellow card are the penalties for breaking UCI Cycling Regulations 2.12.007: Race Incidents Relating to Road Events Rule 7.6. Disqualification or relegation is at the commissaire’s discretion โin serious cases of advantage, endangerment.โ
After the race in Zรผrich, a Latvian representative tried to protest Van der Poelโs actions but was reportedly told that disqualifying the Dutchman โwouldnโt be good for the sport.โ According to Akis, a race commissaire informed the Latvian representative that all commissaires had seen the situation and deemed it not dangerous enough for a penalty.
Akis called for a response from the UCI, expressing concerns about both safety and the lack of consistency in rulings. He stated, โAs a relatively small Federation, we are deeply concerned about this decision. We urge the UCI to apply its rules consistently to ensure the safety and integrity of cycling and not leave it to this kind of potential accident without response, just because it would be so-called damage of reputation.โ
The Latvian Federationโs letter also requested a public explanation from the UCI to prevent similar incidents in the future. โWe, as a part of the cycling world, expect the UCI to publicly explain the decision of commissaires to avoid a similar situation, as paying no attention to this situation creates a ground for greater risk to racing in the future which is something no one wants,โ Akis added.
Main photo credit: Getty
