Remco Evenepoel receives a fine and driving ban from the police judge: “He acknowledges his mistake”
Wednesday 9 March 2022 at 14:19
Remco Evenepoel is not allowed to drive a car for three weeks and has to pay a fine. The 22-year-old leader of Quick-Step-Alpha Vinyl drove more than 50 kilometers per hour too fast through his hometown of Schepdaal in November 2020 and had to answer to the police judge for this today.
Evenepoel, active in Tirreno-Adriatico, sent his lawyer Kristof Callebaut to the hearing in Halle. His counsel responded to the fact that on November 12, 2020, a speed of 125 km/h was measured where 70 km/h was allowed. “My client was then recovering after his serious fall in the Tour of Lombardy in August of that year. But he also had sponsorship obligations at the time,” said Evenepoel’s lawyer. “That day he had an appointment with a sponsor who was running late. As a result, he had left too late for an appointment with his physiotherapist Lieven Maesschalck.”
“To make up for the time, he made the wrong decision and gave extra gas,” Callebaut continued The last news† “In the race, driving a little faster usually yields something, but in traffic you don’t gain anything with that. He realizes that. That speed is intolerable and he admits his mistake. My client was 20 years old at the time and I think we can classify this as a youthful sin.”
‘Not an enfant terrible’
Evenepoel’s lawyer says that his client leads an exemplary life because he is racing at a high level. “He’s not a enfant terrible who gets in the press with all kinds of nonsense. He doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink, and doesn’t even go out. He is incredibly talented and makes sacrifices every day. It seems as if it all happens automatically, but it is not at all and that is sometimes forgotten. It doesn’t speak well at all, but the worst thing is that this is now in the media and that it reflects negatively on him.”
The defense argued for a suspension of the sentence, but police judge Dina Van Laethem did not agree. “If I don’t punish him, I give the impression that he can do more than anyone else. Your client has an exemplary function precisely because of his status. ‘If he can drive 120 as a young guest on the Ninoofsesteenweg, then I can too’That’s how people reason. And to my knowledge, there is still no highway in Schepdaal,” said the judge.
punishment
In the end, Evenepoel was banned from driving for 21 days and a fine of 400 euros was imposed by the police judge. In addition, he has to retake the theory test. The judge did have a tip, with a wink, for from Aeroball of Schepdaal: “That driving ban may come in handy, because then he can do some extra training with the bike if he has to leave his car.”
