Jan-Willem van Schip laying in the grass, with a police officer leaning over him, after police on the race were told to intervene and bring him to a stop after his disqualification
Jan-Willem van Schip (Azerion-Villa Valkenburg) has been making the cycling headlines for all the wrong reasons again. The Dutch rider was disqualified mid-way through the final stage of Ronde de l'Oise (2.2) on Sunday.
It was the third time he had been disqualified from races in eight months, with the first two incidents relating to his bike - specifically his handlebar set-up and a non-compliant seat post. The latest disqualification came about because he was racing with a bidon shoved up his jersey.
When disqualified on Sunday, he was clearly annoyed as he initially refused to pull out of the race. Then a French police officer on moto escort duties was ordered by the commissaire to intervene and stop him.
An image later appeared on social media showing an officer leaning over Van Schip as he lay on the grass verge by the roadside.
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This resulted in allegations online that the commissaire and the police officer - indeed the UCI - were all to blame for a heavy-handed approach involving law enforcement stopping the Dutch rider in a race.
However, Van Schip has clarified what happened, explaining the police officer was leaning over him to console him when he became upset, breaking down in tears, after being forced out of a race again.
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When reports in France claimed the image showed an officer after he had brought the rider to a stop, Van Schip contacted Dutch outlet WielerFlits to explain the officer stopped to sympathise with him.
"I attack and tuck my water bottle under my shirt,” Van Schip said. “The jury rode past immediately and I asked: ‘Is my cycling position okay now?’ The man completely freaked out. I asked: ‘What is the problem? Can I hide the water bottle with you, or do I have to throw it away here?’
“I found it very strange. For a long time, I didn’t get any clarity on exactly what the problem was; I was only told that I was being taken out of the race. Afterwards, I was told that I was being disqualified because I had a water bottle in my jersey.”
He added he was working as hard as he could as an athlete and did not feel welcome in cycling, after the fifth disqualification of his career.
Last month he was disqualified from the Tour of Hellas for resting his forearms on his handlebars during stage 2. And at the Ronde de l’Oise, he had already been fined 200CHF after his handlebar position on stage 2 was deemed to be a danger to himself or other riders.
His team has said the rule banning any items being placed under race clothing - such as bidons - to give an aero advantage will not become active until July 1st. However, the commissaire clearly believed he was breaking existing rules.
In an audio file shared with French media, the Italian commissaire in France reportedly said: “Number 31 refuses to leave the race, despite a disqualification. He will be stopped by the gendarmerie."
However, Van Schip has since confirmed that, despite all of the claims online, he was not forced out and forced to the ground by a police offer, quite the contrary.
