27-year-old Mathieu van der Poel got off on the final day of the World Cycling Championships in Australia yesterday. He did so after completing just 30 of the 267 kilometers of the road race.
Bad night’s sleep
He had barely slept because he was kept awake by noisy teenagers in his hotel. It came to a confrontation between the cyclist and two teenage girls, after which the hotel called the police and Van der Poel was taken away. He was not allowed to return to his hotel until hours later and did not sleep again until 4 a.m.
Australian police said yesterday that a 27-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of assault. One of the two girls is said to have suffered a minor abrasion. “Quite a bizarre story”, said teammates of the Dutch leader.
The hotel where Van der Poel stayed has also noticed that the incident did not go unnoticed. The Novotel in Sydney’s Brighton-le-Sands neighborhood has received dozens of reviews in recent hours. Almost all reviewers give the hotel one star: ‘children running in the hallway’, ‘very noisy’, ‘not recommended’, ‘call the police after your night’s sleep is ruined’ people write.
Other floor
Van der Poel was on the ninth floor of the Novotel. The other riders were elsewhere in the hotel. Because Van der Poel arrived in Australia with a cold, it was decided not to put him in a room with fellow rider Jan Maas, the head coach of the cycling association explained yesterday.
The website of the Novotel where Van der Poel stayed shows that children could stay for free because of a discount campaign. The hotel did not want to respond to questions from RTL Nieuws today.
Van der Poel has to appear in court tomorrow because of the incident.
Tags: Australian hotel Van der Poel stayed flooded negative reviews
