Teams & Riders The "MVP" Mathieu Van der Poel Road Discussion Thread

[King Boonen]

They could have just asked him in the hotel. Did you beat them? No? Ok, girls do you have proof? No? Well, have a nice evening and keep it down because the other guests want to go to sleep. Case closed.

He was accused of assaulting children. At minimum that means you take him to the station, interview him under caution and take a statement. I honestly cannot believe people are suggesting otherwise.

They should question him alright, but not until 4 in the morning!

You question someone as soon as you are able, as you have no idea what might happen in the interim.

Is it about celebrities? I don't know what really happened and what he really did. I don't know how seriously injured the girl was. So if he was really aggressive towards them, he deserved to be brought to the police station right there.

But the way it sounds, they totally harassed him, he got into an argument with them, things got heated and he pushed them. If some teenagers of 13/14 (my son's 14) came to my hotel room in the middle of the night and harrassed me and I was seriously under stress and then when I opened the door they wouldn't run away, but be unregenerate and maybe still verbally fight with me - I might push them in the heat of the moment, too. Of course it's correct that the police then investigates, and that he's punished accordingly, but to me whether the behaviour of the police to take him to the station in the middle of the night was justified depends on what kind of a push it was - at 13/14 you are not really a child who doesn't have huge responsibility in this case if you harrass some person like that. So honestly some kind of push in that situation is not an "assault" to me where you have to be taken to the police station immediately if you can show your papers and everything right there.

To be very clear, it has absolutely nothing to do with who he is. Anyone who assaults children, and that includes pushing them, deserves to be taken straight to the police station and interviewed under caution. Your opinion on what an assault is doesn't matter, pushing a child is an assault. a 14 year old is a child. You can deal with what they did separately, but not taking in a man accused of assaulting children for questioning?

 

[King Boonen]

One of the kids supposedly hurt her elbow, the other fell to the floor, so that would also fall under battery, since i doubt there is a law specifically for minor injuries inflicted. So to repeat my statement, i think the officers on scene should be allowed to use their brains and common sense when they assess the situation. And they should first try to resolve the incident by moderation when their common sense tells them there was no intent to harm or premeditated aggression and other then a scraped elbow there were no injuries. While his actions may not be excused, those of the children (or their parents lack of supervision) can also not be excused, meaning his actions were a reaction after being provoked. Him being a star athlete should not play a part, but the circumstances should definitely matter.

Ah, so now you're fine with people commiting battery against children and not being taken in for questioning?

 

[yaco]

Are people seriously suggesting that a man accused of assaulting two children should be given deferential treatment and allowed to go and ride his bike..?

Edit: To be clear (because this place is full of pedants), should just be allowed to go back to bed, race and then submit for questioning.

I can assure you that if this happened the night before the AFL or NRL Grand Final they would have been interviewed after their event.

 

[jmdirt]

Are people seriously suggesting that a man accused of assaulting two children should be given deferential treatment and allowed to go and ride his bike..?

Edit: To be clear (because this place is full of pedants), should just be allowed to go back to bed, race and then submit for questioning.

I wasn't one of the ones implying that, but what great way to get rid of favorite.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Losing your chance to become a World Champion because of two spoiled brats that Australian GOV took side on & deemed worth protecting, even if they were the cause of the incident ......

I feel your pain MvP

Agree about the Australian government. I think it’s called populism and sadly it is popular to beat up on cyclists here. We are not Europe. Even on shared pathways recreational cyclists get abused by old people who don’t seem to understand the word “shared”. It’s a lose / lose situation. Europeans should be thankful but I know even over there can be problems.

Do either of you actually believe that whether the police charge an adult male over an incident in which teenage girls were injured is a government decision?

 

[Armchair cyclist]

I doubt it's that random. If it was they could've disturbed more guests on the same floor.

I guess there's witnesses. Especially as he himself must have woken up a couple of people if he had a rage fit

Most people staying in a hotel on a Saturday night are not asleep at 10:30.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Australian laws shine bright again. First Djokovic, and now this. I wonder who will be next... If I'm on Van Der Poel's place, my foot will not land on Australian soil ever again.

Can you suggest any meaningful similarity between the two cases?

Do you believe that free entry should be given to people found to have lied on their visa application?
Do you believe that apparent injury to teenage girls caused by adult males should not be investigated?

Or do you think that fame trumps the requirements of justice?

 

[fox]

He was accused of assaulting children. At minimum that means you take him to the station, interview him under caution and take a statement. I honestly cannot believe people are suggesting otherwise.

He was accused by the brats themselves. In Western Europe he would have never been taken to the police station. They would have asked his ID to write it down and they would have left. And maybe later on they would invite him to the police station if these girls made a formal complaint. Otherwise it would just be classified without further processing.

 

[noob]

Most people staying in a hotel on a Saturday night are not asleep at 10:30.

True. I didn't even think about it. It's not even that late. And a Weekend night at that. It's not late at all. So logically should even be witnesses.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

Most people staying in a hotel on a Saturday night are not asleep at 10:30.

This.
What were his Alpecin handlers and the Dutch federation thinking of letting him stay on a corridor with tourists and people who've been attending parties in the hotel?

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Australia sounds like a terrible place to go. Why would they schedule a WC race there?

Dear UCI,
Please schedule the next World Championships in a place where the police have no interest in protecting more vulnerable members of society, even if they are unwise.
Yours,
Stonerider.


Dear Stonerider,
How does Glasgow sound?
Yours,
UCI

 

[Red Rick]

Can you suggest any meaningful similarity between the two cases?

Do you believe that free entry should be given to people found to have lied on their visa application?
Do you believe that apparent injury to teenage girls caused by adult males should not be investigated?

Or do you think that fame trumps the requirements of justice?

Djokovic won his initial court case, and was then booted out based on ministerial powers because a lotta people were very unhappy about justice being served.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

I can assure you that if this happened the night before the AFL or NRL Grand Final they would have been interviewed after their event.

For 'assure', read 'make a guess largely predicated upon prejudice'

 

[fox]

Dear UCI,
Please schedule the next World Championships in a place where the police have no interest in protecting more vulnerable members of society, even if they are unwise.
Yours,
Stonerider.


Dear Stonerider,
How does Glasgow sound?
Yours,
UCI

More like.

Dear UCI,

Please schedule the next World Championships in a place where the police are allowed to use common sence.

Yours,
Stonerider.

 

[King Boonen]

I can assure you that if this happened the night before the AFL or NRL Grand Final they would have been interviewed after their event.

Not sure how this is relevant? All it does is tell us that police are biased when they shouldn't be.

I wasn't one of the ones implying that, but what great way to get rid of favorite.

Also something that is very easy to avoid.

He was accused by the brats themselves. In Western Europe he would have never been taken to the police station. They would have asked his ID to write it down and they would have left. And maybe later on they would invite him to the police station if these girls made a formal complaint. Otherwise it would just be classified without further processing.

This is nonsense.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Several people here with the "where were the parents?" line: I wonder whether anyone making that point is a parent themselves.

If so, do/did you keep your teenage children under visual supervision constantly in a hotel environment?

As I understand it , the girls reported their injuries and the claim that they were pushed to their parents while the parents were taking them to task for their knock- down ginger exploits. I think most parents would at that point change their reaction from "You need to write a letter of apology to the nice Dutch couple and slide it silently under their door, then stay in your room the rest of the night" to "You were wrong to do what you did, but he should have known better. I am not going to go and fight him over it, but I will tell the authorities."

And if you are going to say that my interpretation is speculative, of course it is. But no more so than that of those saying that the parents are guilty.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

More like.

Dear UCI,

Please schedule the next World Championships in a place where the police are allowed to use common sence.

Yours,
Stonerider.

And again, the suggestion that the police should not investigate an accusation of physical injury to teenage girls by an adult male.

 

[noob]

Is The Guardian a reliable source?

"Van der Poel had confronted two girls – grabbing one on the arm and pushing the other – after he says they repeatedly knocked on his hotel door on Saturday night and ran away.
After the two-time Tour of Flanders champion pleaded guilty on Monday, Sutherland local court magistrate Hugh Donnelly convicted him and ordered he pay fines of A$1,000 and A$500 for the two common assaults.

“He [Van der Poel] admits he dealt with it inappropriately but still there’s an explanation,” criminal lawyer Michael Bowe said. "

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...ssault-of-girls-on-eve-of-world-championships

 

[Blanco]

Can you suggest any meaningful similarity between the two cases?

Do you believe that free entry should be given to people found to have lied on their visa application?
Do you believe that apparent injury to teenage girls caused by adult males should not be investigated?

Or do you think that fame trumps the requirements of justice?

He lied what exactly? And I think he was denied because of his anti-vax stance, he could influence people the wrong way, and some similar ***. His visa was ok.

And in the other case, take a statement if necessary as soon as possible, and let the man do what he came for. It was clear as a day it was not a big deal, even to a policemen So let him ride, and later if he's guilty punish him.

 

[King Boonen]

Several people here with the "where were the parents?" line: I wonder whether anyone making that point is a parent themselves.

If so, do/did you keep your teenage children under visual supervision constantly in a hotel environment?

As I understand it , the girls reported their injuries and the claim that they were pushed to their parents while the parents were taking them to task for their knock- down ginger exploits. I think most parents would at that point change their reaction from "You need to write a letter of apology to the nice Dutch couple and slide it silently under their door, then stay in your room the rest of the night" to "You were wrong to do what you did, but he should have known better. I am not going to go and fight him over it, but I will tell the authorities."

And if you are going to say that my interpretation is speculative, of course it is. But no more so than that of those saying that the parents are guilty.

This. Clearly what the kids were doing was stupid, but that's what kids do. It doesn't give some the right to, allegedly, assault them and if they do they have to suffer the consequences.

 

[OlavEH]

And again, the suggestion that the police should not investigate an accusation of physical injury to teenage girls by an adult male who entered their room.

Or just take a short statement then and there, and wait to the day after to make him come to the police station. It's not like he was accused of aggravated assault, posed a public risk or would have fled the country immediately if he wasn't taken in.

 

[noob]

Since so many people believe teenagers lie about being assaulted:
Have you wrongfully accused someone of assaulting you? If not why do you believe others would?

 

[fox]

And again, the suggestion that the police should not investigate an accusation of physical injury to teenage girls by an adult male who entered their room.

I never said that. That is what you are trying to make of it. Common sense is

Step 1: Asking for the ID of MVDP and the girls. Writing it down and then telling everybody to leave each other alone.
Step 2: Either inviting MVDP for a chat if the girls make a formal complaint, or dismiss the whole thing if the parents of the brats want to use their common sense.

Either way, in Western Europe, nobody would get arrested for a dispute like that. MVDP was probably not aware of the fact that Australian police has nothing else to do.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

And where are the borders of protecting your self-integrity and property? I would consider the hotel room I am staying in an equivalent of my property for the duration of my stay.

And would the law in your territory permit you to leave your property and physically assault minors for disturbing your rest in your property?

 

[noob]

I never said that. That is what you are trying to make of it. Common sense is

Step 1: Asking for the ID of MVDP and the girls. Writing it down and then telling everybody to leave each other alone.
Step 2: Either inviting MVDP for a chat if the girls make a formal complaint, or dismiss the whole thing if the parents of the brats want to use their common sense.

Either way, in Western Europe, nobody would get arrested for a dispute like that. MVDP was probably not aware of the fact that Australian police has nothing else to do.

"Western Europe" *** my ass. They would and they did.