Cycling star Mathieu van der Poel has pleaded guilty to assaulting two teenage girls during an incident that happened the night before the World Championships road race.
Van der Poel was one of the pre-race favourites and leader of the Dutch team for the 165-mile race in Australia on Sunday. However, the night before the race Van der Poel alleged the teenagers "continuously" knocked on his hotel room door resulting in the incident.
"After a few times I was done with it," he told Belgian website Sporza. "I didn't ask so nicely to stop. Then the police were called and I was taken."
The Dutch cyclist pleaded guilty to two counts of common assault against the girls aged 13 and 14. He was fined 1,500 Australian dollars (£909).
A New South Wales Police statement after the incident said: “It’s alleged the man pushed both teenagers, with one falling to the ground and the other being pushed into a wall causing a minor graze to her elbow,”
Van der Poel was released from custody in time to start the World Championship road race on Sunday but abandoned his ride after just 18 miles of the course. Speaking prior to the prestigious race Van Der Poel added: "I wasn't back in my room until 4am. That's certainly not ideal. It's a disaster, but I can't change anything. I try to make the best of it.
"It is on little sleep that I will race, hopefully on adrenaline. It certainly wasn't fun. It is what it is, I have to make do with it."
Van der Poel's lawyer Michael Bowe told Reuters that the Dutch cycling star pleaded guilty to the charges.
He said: "We went through the relevant events that occurred, he was arrested by police, was interviewed by police and said certain things to the police. Mathieu agreed with some of those allegations. On discussing it was agreed he should plead guilty."
Van der Poel won stage two of the Tour De France last year and wore the leader's overall yellow jersey as a result. He has now reportedly returned to his home in Belgium ahead of some season-ending races.
