Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel soon to be caught by Belgian justice for having crossed a level crossing when the light had turned red on the Tour des Frandres? “The offenders will be identified and a report will be drawn up,” indicated the East Flanders prosecutor’s office while the winner, Pogacar, as well as Evenepoel, 3rd, are among the twenty competitors concerned.
More than 200 kilometers from the finish, in Wichelen, the imminent arrival of a train signaled by a red light ordering the cyclists to stop did not dissuade part of the peloton from crossing the tracks, while the rest stopped behind the lowered barriers. The two groups were able to meet again a few kilometers further, after the intervention of the race direction to slow down those who had passed.
Running a red light at a level crossing is a category 4 offense which can lead to an appearance before the police court, according to the Belgian press agency Belga. At the sporting level, going beyond the traffic lights is punishable by a sanction which can go as far as disqualification.
Tadej Pogacar evokes an effect of surprise
At a press conference, Tadej Pogacar justified the riders’ attitude by “surprise”. “Suddenly, three guys jumped in the middle of the road asking us to stop. But how can you stop in a second? They should have done it earlier, not 10 meters from the barrier,” said the Slovenian.
“I even thought the guys who jumped on the road were protesters and something crazy was happening. The rule is a bit strange,” he concluded, visibly not bothered by the mishap.
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