On a bike, Remco Evenepoel is a real rocket. Problem: he applied this same speed at the wheel of his car. The runner was actually caught red-handed on November 12, 2020, announces the Nieuwsblad.
In his hometown of Schepdaal, on the Ninove road, the Belgian prodigy was flashed at 125 km / h instead of 70. Absent from the hearing, Evenepoel could not be present because he is currently racing at Tirreno -Adriatico in Italy. “As far as I know, the highway does not yet pass through Schepdaal”said Dina Van Laethem, the judge of the police court.
Facing her, Remco’s lawyer defended his client. “We do not dispute the facts”he began. “At the time, my client was undergoing rehabilitation to regain his level after his heavy fall during the Tour of Lombardy on August 15 of that year. However, he still had a lot of sponsorship obligations. He had to do a appearance that day. Absolutely everyone wanted to take a picture with him.”
Only, this meeting dragged on. “He also had another appointment with the famous physiotherapist Lieven Maesschalck. He didn’t want to be late and he had a very tight schedule. My client left a bit late and made the wrong decision to press a little harder on the accelerator”, he explained. For the lawyer, it is above all a big sin of youth. “He was only 20 at the time. He’s definitely not a enfant terrible. He has an exemplary life. He doesn’t smoke, drink, or go out. He makes many sacrifices day in and day out. .”
The lawyer swore it was an isolated case for the kid from Schepdaal: “In racing, driving fast is very important. But it doesn’t work in traffic. My client realizes that he drove way too fast and that is unacceptable. In the future, he will only be tempted to drive fast ‘with a bicycle.’
Finally the judge chose to impose a fine of 400 euros and a 21-day driving ban. Since he has had his license for less than two years, he will also have to retake his theory test.
This does not at all help the main interested party who has very little time to devote to a review of the highway code. “I can’t allow an exception, because he has to lead by example. Other young people might think: if he can drive too fast on the road without being punished, then so can I. Besides, a ban driving could be a good thing for him, then he will have to use his bike more and he will be even better.”then retorted the judge.
