‘He was lying there crying like a child’ - Van Schip team says police intervention was ‘inhumane’

Van Schip was removed from Sunday’s final stage after commissaires ruled that he had used non compliant clothing by placing a bidon under his jersey. When the 31-year-old refused to stop, French gendarmes were called in to bring him out of the race.

According to team manager Paul Tabak, the team disputes the basis for the decision. He said Azerion/Villa Valkenburg believed the relevant rule change, which restricts what riders can carry under or inside the front of a jersey, only comes into force on July 1.

“As far as we are concerned, that rule does not apply yet,” Tabak said to Wielerflits. “And in the current regulations we cannot find a rule that explicitly forbids carrying two bottles or gels under the jersey. Jan-Willem knows the rules as well. That is why he did not want to stop.”

Tabak said the situation became extreme once the race jury involved the gendarmerie.

“In the end he was forced to stop by the police. That is a serious step. If that had not happened, the race would have been stopped,” he said.

The incident marked Van Schip’s third disqualification since October, after the Tour of Holland and the Tour of Hellas, and further strained an already difficult relationship between the rider, his team and UCI officials. Tabak said the team had previously contacted the UCI seeking clarity on the regulations, but had not received a response.

“We have written to the UCI saying the regulations are not in order, but I simply do not get an answer,” he said. “And now we are in the news negatively again. That is a shame, because Mathis Avondts won the opening stage and that is what we want to be talking about.”

Tabak claimed Van Schip was closely monitored throughout the French stage race.

“They came to check Jan-Willem’s bike every day in the Ronde de l’Oise. Every day,” he said. “They measure him. If they can find something, they will take it.”

The team manager also pointed to another recent race, the Flèche du Sud, where he said officials questioned the legality of the team’s wheels shortly before the start of a key stage. According to Tabak, the equipment was later shown to be compliant.

“It is constant. Every international race again,” he said. “It does not matter what we do or how Jan-Willem does it. He is the one they go after.”

Tabak said the team has tried to avoid conflict by speaking to commissaires before races and asking what Van Schip is allowed to do on the bike. But he said those conversations are rarely clear, and requests to record them are refused.

The manager acknowledged that Van Schip’s constant search for aerodynamic gains is part of the issue.

“He is a rider of extremes. He looks for the space within the rules. He wants to be as aerodynamic as possible, and that is fine with me, as long as it is within the UCI rules,” Tabak said. “But I think we are past that point now.”

Tabak said the team would now have to discuss with Van Schip how to proceed.

“With his current bike, his current position and the things he does, you cannot take him to any UCI race anymore,” he said. “If there is a camera on him, they disqualify him. That can really only mean one thing: ride a normal bike.”

Despite the frustration, Tabak said the human side of the incident should not be ignored. Van Schip was deeply emotional after being stopped, he said.

“He was lying there by the side of the road, crying like a child,” Tabak said. “It is inhumane that it has to come this far. Jan-Willem does not deserve that, certainly not with what he has done in the sport.”

Van Schip is also working with the riders’ union to seek greater clarity over the rules. Tabak said the wider situation had become painful for the whole team.

“It makes my cycling heart cry to see how the UCI is dealing with a rider like him,” he concluded.