Van Schip in Tears After Police Removal, Team Says He’s Targeted

Jan-Willem van Schip has found plenty of ways to get himself into trouble with UCI officials over the years.

Yet Sunday’s dramatic removal from the Ronde de l’Oise, which ended with French police intervening after he refused to leave the race, went too far, according to Azerion-Villa Valkenburg manager Paul Tabak.

“He was lying there by the side of the road, crying like a child,” Tabak told WielerFlits. “It is simply degrading that it has to come to this.”

For Tabak, Sunday’s incident was the latest chapter in Van Schip’s long-running feud with the UCI’s race commissaires.

“I do have the feeling that they don’t really like Jan-Willem,” Tabak said. “We as staff are fairly strict with our riders that we have to do things fair and square. But Jan-Willem is under a magnifying glass.”

Latest dispute centers on timing of rule change

As the dust settles, more details are emerging about what unfolded during Sunday’s final stage.

The controversy began when Van Schip was disqualified Sunday for what officials described as non-compliant clothing after he tucked water bottles inside his jersey while attacking.

Things quickly went off the rails.

According to Ouest-France, the Dutchman refused to leave the race because he believed he had not broken any current regulation.

The standoff escalated when UCI officials called in French police, who ultimately stopped Van Schip and removed him from the race.

Van Schip addressed the disqualification on Instagram but made no mention of the police intervention. He has not commented publicly since.

Tabak argued the UCI regulation cited by officials does not come into force until July 1.

“As far as we are concerned, that rule does not apply yet,” Tabak said. “Jan-Willem knows those rules, which is why he did not want to stop. In the end he was forced to by the gendarmerie. If that hadn’t happened, the race would have been stopped.”

The UCI’s new jersey-pocket rule, introduced last week but officially not on the books until next month, requires riders to carry food, clothing, bottles, and accessories only in rear jersey pockets, with limited exceptions during racing.

The measure aims to stop riders from stuffing jerseys to gain an aerodynamic edge. A small front pocket remains permitted for race radios only.

‘Every day they came to check his bike’

Some view Van Schip’s forced removal as extreme.

Sunday’s incident marked his third disqualification since October, following other DSQs from the Tour of the Netherlands over a bike compliance issue and the Tour of Hellas because of his riding position.

Tabak said he believes Van Schip has become a marked man.

He said officials inspected the Dutch rider’s bike every day at the Ronde de l’Oise and subjected him to checks other riders simply weren’t receiving.

“Every single day they came to check Jan-Willem’s bike. Every day,” Tabak said. “If they can find anything, they get you.”

According to Tabak, the attention follows the team even when Van Schip is not racing.

He pointed to the recent Flèche du Sud, where officials informed the team just 10 minutes before a stage start that its wheels were not approved, only to clear them after reviewing the paperwork.

Tabak said he has repeatedly contacted the UCI seeking clarification on equipment regulations but has yet to receive a response.

“They keep pestering us at every single international race,” Tabak said. “It doesn’t matter what we do.”

A decision to make

Van Schip — a two-time world track champion — is consulting with the riders’ union as the team weighs its next move.

Tabak said the team is frustrated that the controversy has overshadowed what should have been a successful week for the third-tier Dutch squad.

Mathis Avondts won stage 2 of the Ronde de l’Oise, but most of the attention has landed on Van Schip’s latest run-in with officials.

Tabak suggested says the simplest solution may be exactly what the UCI wants.

“On his current bike, with his current position, and with the things he does, you shouldn’t take him to any UCI race anymore,” he told Wielerflits. “Wherever there is a camera, they disqualify him. That can really only mean one thing: go ride a regular bike.”