The aftermath of the Zurich 2024 Cycling World Championship continues. Beyond the spectacle provided by Tadej Pogacar or the tremendous controversy generated by the circumstances surrounding the death of young junior cyclist Muriel Furrer, we now find ourselves with Latvia's formal protest against Mathieu van der Poel, which, if successful, would award the bronze medal to Latvian Toms Skujins who finished in 4th place.
Riding on the sidewalk for a few meters during the World Championship could cost Mathieu van der Poel dearly
An unexpected formal protest from the Latvian team after the conclusion of the Zurich 2024 World Championship alleging that Mathieu van der Poel should have been disqualified from the race for an incident that we could clearly see in the television images when there were just over 58 kilometers left.
At that moment, there were constant attacks in the chasing group and Mathieu van der Poel found himself blocked from moving to the front and responding. The Dutchman, showcasing his technical skill, took advantage of a curb ramp to go up on the sidewalk, pass by it, and just as he approached some spectators watching the race, he jumped back onto the road at the front of the group. It was only a few meters, but according to the Latvians, he endangered the spectators and there are precedents for disqualifications for similar actions.
However, in the case of a very specific action, if the judges do not see a dangerous situation, it is usually penalized with a fine ranging from 200 to 1000 Swiss francs. However, the Dutchman did not receive any penalty, which has further angered the Latvian team as expressed in the protest letter they have submitted to the UCI, denouncing the comparative grievance with other similar situations.
The president of the Latvian federation, Sandis Akis, also commented that after the race, he went to ask for explanations from the commissioners who claimed they were aware of the action but did not consider it dangerous and therefore did not deserve a penalty, which infuriated the leader who pointed out that “The UCI interprets the rules as they please and not all cyclists are equal, especially when it comes to making unpopular decisions”.
Despite the letter sent by this federation to the UCI, it is unlikely to result in a correction of the results of the Zurich 2024 World Championship now that the event has concluded. There is a possibility that Latvia could escalate their claim to higher authorities, but it also seems like a remote option when we are talking about disputing just a bronze medal.
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