“An ordinary mafia”: Fans slam “thieves” at UCI for slapping Van der Poel with £928 fine for “unauthorised feeding” in Paris-Roubaix; Mohorič fan club helped identify bottle throwing spectator; Cycling UK rebrand; Evenepoel comeback + more on the blog

Imagine becoming only the third cyclist ever to achieve a hat-trick of wins at Paris-Roubaix, while also dispatching the best rider of your generation in doing so, however, the UCI finds a way to rain on your parade...

Mathieu van der Poel, after soloing to his third victory in as many years over the brutal cobbles of northern France, took home more than just the hallowed block of pavé and perhaps a sore chin from the water bottle tossed at him by a ‘fan’ — he was also handed a fine of 1,000 Swiss francs (£928) for grabbing a bite from his team car within the last 14 kilometres.

> Paris-Roubaix spectator who threw bottle at Mathieu van der Poel hands himself in to the police

As the dust settled over a race for-the-ages, the UCI released its jury report, including the list of fines coming the way of riders and teams for flagrancy of cycling’s governing body’s rules, which also included a fine of 1,000 CHF for Christoph Roodhooft, team boss at Alpecin-Deceuninck, responsible for handing out the gel to his star rider in the midst of earfuls of coaching to keep him riding on, and even a fist bump before entering the velodrome, once the victory was all but secured.

"Couldn't wait for the Haribos, Mathieu?" – UCI, probably (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Based on the social media reaction, fans are somewhat divided. Many pointed out the silly nature of the fine, with one person claiming: “What’s the point of a fine to a multi-millionaire?”

Joe, meanwhile, dryly pointed out the incident of Van der Poel getting hit with the bottle: “Is the unauthorised feeding him taking a bidon to the face?”. Another fan wrote: “Van der Poel gets another 1000 CHF fine for unauthorised heading a drink bottle.”

Others didn’t mince their words when attacking the sport's governing body. “UCI proves again they are an ordinary mafia,” wrote one fan, while another said: “UCI are thieves thinking only about themselves. As are all sports associations.”

This is, of course, far from the first time fans have turned on the UCI for imposing fines on riders, with many still seething from the committee’s decision to fine 21-year-old Isaac del Toro for celebrating his victory at Milano-Torino with an unzipped jersey.

Speaking in his post-race interview, Van der Poel had admitted he had been struggling hard in the last 20-30 kilometres. He said: “I really suffered in the last 30 kilometres, especially because I ended up alone after Tadej’s mistake.

“Otherwise, it would have been very difficult to drop each other. Now I had to go solo from far out, and that cost a lot of energy.”

> Get to grips with the new UCI rules — changes to look out for in this year’s Tour de France

Some were sceptical whether it was this illegal feeding that kept the Dutchman going without bonking in the final kilometres. One person wrote: “Surely the penalty should be worse for MVDP. Could’ve bonked and lost the race without it?”

Another said: “So it's authorised then. A meaningless fine. If it’s unauthorised then it should be a DQ,” while yet another joked: “I’ve seen enough. Overturn the victory and give to Pogi!”

But Alpecin-Deceuninck weren’t the only ones in the firing line — several teams joined the post-race penalty party. Arkéa-B&B Hotels, Intermarché-Wanty, and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale all picked up fines after riders were spotted going off course. No word yet on whether they were simply trying to avoid potholes or stray bidons, but either way, 200CHF per team boss: Sébastien Hinault, Aike Visbeek, and Julien Jurdie.

Tudor’s sports director Marcel Sieberg fared even worse — booted from the race entirely and fined 500CHF for mysterious infractions involving the team car. And just to cap things off, Intermarché-Wanty also got dinged another 200 francs because a staff member handed a feed improperly to a rider. If you thought the cobbles were unforgiving, try handing out a gel the wrong way.

> Halfords cycling sales grow in boost for bike industry

> "Careless" driver banned for a year after breaking cyclist's leg in bike lane crash

Cyclists passing through Haddington now have one more reason to keep rolling, thanks to a newly installed bicycle repair station outside the town’s Aubigny Sports Centre. Complete with Allen keys, spanners and screwdrivers, the repair station is designed to provide cyclists with the tools they need for on-the-go maintenance.

The installation comes alongside wider improvements to the Aubigny facility, including an upgraded gym and expanded bicycle storage. The car park outside the Mill Wynd site was also resurfaced last month, continuing the broader upgrade of the area’s active travel and leisure infrastructure.

East Lothian Council says the new repair station forms part of a county-wide push to support sustainable transport and make cycling a more accessible and practical option for residents and visitors alike.

A council spokesperson said: “During the gym extension project at the Aubigny Sports Centre, a bicycle repair station was installed along with additional cycle parking and shelters.

“We also fitted a repair station and bike racks at Yellowcraig during the recent improvement works to its toilet facilities.

“The provision of these repair stations forms part of the council’s ongoing commitment to delivering active and sustainable travel options around the county.”

A similar repair station and pump was recently installed at Yellowcraig, with the project costing around £2,600, reports East Lothian Courier.

As local authorities across the UK look to make everyday cycling easier and more appealing, these low-cost, high-impact upgrades are expected to go a long way in removing small but frustrating barriers, like a flat tyre or wobbly handlebars.

After a lengthy absence from the pro peloton, Olympic double champion Remco Evenepoel is ready to make a comeback — starting with this Friday’s Flemish classic Brabantse Pijl, and the Belgian has shed some light on his tough six months away from racing via an Instagram post.

“Finally my comeback week has arrived. After days, weeks, months of waiting and waiting, I can finally look towards my first races,” Evenepoel wrote. “The way to where I am now has been very hard and challenging. Definitely the hardest battle of my life so far. Mentally and physically, I can honestly say that I have been under the ground and really doubted a lot of my future. Loads of tears and frustration were present in our life. But, for this reason I want to show you all who really has been there for me.

“In first place (ofcourse) my lovely wife Oumi! Passing this whole dark period with me has not been easy. The way you worked hard to pass all your exams, was unseen! That combined with me being injured and mentally down, I can only say: thank you so much for everything habiba.

“Every day you came up with a lesson. You have been teaching me so much stuff, on all aspects in life! How to get through hard periods, how to stay focussed, how to be happy while it is difficult. We had and will still have loads of prayers together, which is such an incredible thing you taught me. And which is such an incredible feeling to share with you!”

“I just want to tell, that without you, I would probably have stopped my career. That is from where you helped me crawling back up. I can only say that I love you so much and thank you for who you are. You are the most beautiful person (inside and outside) in the whole universe. And I am so incredibly proud to be you husband and to be able to fight for us and our future.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Remco Evenepoel Rayane (@remco.ev)

The world time trial champion added: “I definitely have to thank my parents as well for always being there for me. And helping me with whatever it can be! Since I was a very young kid you guys have been doing everything for me, and I will for sure never forget that!”

He also continued to thank his family members and close friends, as well as the medial staff who looked after him during his rehabilitation phase.

According to his racing programme on Pro Cycling Stats, Evenepoel is scheduled to race the next Ardennes classics — Amstel Gold and La Flèche Wallonne, before competing in the oldest monument of all, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, a race he won in 2022 and 2023, and finished second in 2024.

Evenepoel will also be making a return to the Grand Tour, taking to the biggest stage of them all by going against Jonas Vingegaard and the reigning champion Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de France, with the Soudal Quick-Step rider also expected to compete in two stage races prior, the Tour de Romandie and Critérium du Dauphiné.

Another week, another Peter Sagan’s post-retirement shenanigans on Let’s Dance — Slovakia’s version of Strictly Come Dancing.

And while there has been enough drama around the former world champion’s dancing escapades, with fans accusing the show of “favouritism” by keeping him on and eliminating “more deserving” candidates, some might say that it’s been all worth it for yet another topless contemporary performance, after he previously went bare-chested during his Ken outing in the Barbie cha-cha-cha.

> “My dancing idol is Patrick Swayze”: Peter Sagan signs up for Strictly Slovakia – but how have other pro cyclists who swapped their bikes for the ballroom fared?

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Televízia Markíza (@tvmarkizaofficial)

Moreover, this time fans seemed to have on board with the decision, many claiming that this was “his performance yet” — despite the Slovak former pro scoring the least points from the judges out of all the participants — jive once again turning out to be his Achilles’ heel after the somewhat lacklustre dance to Elvis Presley’s Hound Dog a few weeks ago.

Some notes from Ryan, who might as well be the fifth judge of the show at this point: “The performance was great, a real spectacle — and he definitely bought into the character. But needs to be smoother. I suppose it resembles his riding style, brutally effective.”