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

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MVDP is being seen as a victim that handled the situation poorly. There has been support on Twitter by Sven Nys, Jan Vertonghen (Belgian football player), and the fiancee of Evenepoel. Based on comments on news articles, most people support MVDP and think the kids are being pampered.
Looks like there's some good sense left in cycling.
 
I just know them by following by a long distance, but personalitywise, Van der Poel seems to me like the cycling version of Max Verstappen. Two world class athletes who dedicate themselves from a young age to the sport they are good in and reach the pinnacle of their sport from a very young age. Also coming both from a family with tradition on the respective sports and with fathers who were very close and present in their sport upbringing. And while they seem killer on the job, they are still a bit boyish off it and have a bit of a "i don't give a crap" attitude and a bit of impersonality, if I can call it like that, towards others.
Both were born in Belgium, both have lived in Belgium, were taught the ropes in Belgium, went to school in Belgium... It all went south the moment they chose north (Netherlands) though. Tragic. What person with common sense would do such a thing. Perhaps those were the first signs that something was wrong with them!
 
I am a bit worried that the family/families of the girls involved will attack Mathieu at a future race. Maybe they will try to bludgeon him, attack him with a knife or baseball bat, or beat him down and kick his head, or even worse… I am really worried.

What do you guys think, is that possible?
it won't be possible unless they travel to Europe. I can't imagine MvdP racing in AUS ever again (not in the next three years for sure). International crime and poor parenting don't usually go hand in hand. ;)
 
I am a bit worried that the family/families of the girls involved will attack Mathieu at a future race. Maybe they will try to bludgeon him, attack him with a knife or baseball bat, or beat him down and kick his head, or even worse… I am really worried.

What do you guys think, is that possible?
I think they might hire someone to ring the bell at MVDP his home and his parents home(incase Mathieu aint home!).
 
We can agree or disagree about the potential culpability of the parents. But one thing is sure. It's bad enough pursuing underage women, but at least Van der Poel had the sense to keep his wim-wam concealed well within his underwear. And let's be honest, he should only expose himself to his girlfriend when he's in the public. Australia isn't the Tour de France, after all.
 
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I am a bit worried that the family/families of the girls involved will attack Mathieu at a future race. Maybe they will try to bludgeon him, attack him with a knife or baseball bat, or beat him down and kick his head, or even worse… I am really worried.

What do you guys think, is that possible?
Are u living in the middle ages?
there is a very special weapon called a "c-a-r"
Guaranteed destruction of the bike
Sure-shot way to land said culprit err.. i mean cyclist in the hospital
no effort needed to break aforementioned criminal's bones
No harm to driver
Driver gets scot free
Quick getaway from site
Maximum performance, minimum effort
 
I am a bit worried that the family/families of the girls involved will attack Mathieu at a future race. Maybe they will try to bludgeon him, attack him with a knife or baseball bat, or beat him down and kick his head, or even worse… I am really worried.

What do you guys think, is that possible?

That's highly unlikely to happen. No need to be worried at all. Seriously, think about something else.....
 
Are u living in the middle ages?
there is a very special weapon called a "c-a-r"
Guaranteed destruction of the bike
Sure-shot way to land said culprit err.. i mean cyclist in the hospital
no effort needed to break aforementioned criminal's bones
No harm to driver
Driver gets scot free
Quick getaway from site
Maximum performance, minimum effort
And I thought the Roglic-Fred Wright thread was going overboard :eek:
 
So... first someone was speculating that people might retaliate, and attack the girls.
Now someone is speculating that people might retaliate, and attack VDP.
Is everyone just attacking each other now?

(The first part is probably burried a 1000 pages back in this thread, which has spun more wildly out of control than the Roglic thread did...)
 
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Should I start a parenting thread?
OMG, please do! I came back here to learn more about what MVDP’s situation is, how he’s going to get back to racing/training now. I have a little difficulty understanding how folks are so fixated on the parents and kids. All parents make bad decisions sometimes, and many parents do MUCH worse than this. If you’re worried “what is the world coming to” with these kids’ and parents’ behavior, then you probably don’t want to know what really bad parenting looks like. Am I more knowledgeable than anyone else about that—maybe or maybe not. But I have taught parenting classes and more to the point worked for two years in a children’s hospital emergency room doing child abuse and child neglect assessments, and reporting to child protective services every night of those 2 years. If you’re really concerned about parents and kids behavior there are plenty of places you can volunteer and put that energy into.

I honestly think most of you are aware of all of that, I just thought a reminder about putting things in context might be useful. Or as llMaestro suggested, start a new thread.
 
I'm a teacher: I don't need to be told that. The inhibitors on their behaviour (wisdom, consideration, fear, conscience) are undeveloped. And wishing that not to be the case, and many attempts to move that situation forward, will not be successful. I have known parents absolutely at the end of their tethers, having tried every form of sanction or cajoling that they, or professionals around them, can propose and still that development of empathy and order in their young people's lives has lagged behind that of their peers. I have seen families in which there are siblings who have developed mature reasoning (under the influence of the same parents and circumstances) at extraordinarily different rates.

But like RhD says, in the vast majority of cases, the kids are alright in the end, it is just an uncomfortable journey to get there.

So can we please have the humility to admit that we know nothing of the family in question, and have no confidence beyond presumption in passing comment on them.

And equally that we have no knowledge beyond this one situation, under stress, of how van der Poel conducts himself usually, and so we don't really have any grounds to extrapolate from opinions of how he behaved last Saturday night to anything in future races.
Thank you.
 

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