Philippe Gilbert and several other riders from the Belgian squad for this Sunday’s elite road race ran into trouble today with the local police, who stopped them today for what they considered were traffic violations. The riders were riding along the Great Ocean Road when they were reported by a driver.
As noted by Sporza, local police arrived on the scene and prevented the riders from continuing their training ride for some 15 minutes. Team director Dirk De Wolf was asked for identification and had to explain their plans for the remainder of the spin. They were finally allowed to resume their training after receiving a warning.
At this point in time, it appears the indiscretion they were accused of was merely riding two abreast, thus causing traffic to build up behind them.
Police had previously warned they were going to clamp down on any riders that they considered were riding dangerously. Earlier this week, senior traffic police officer Sergeant Shane Coles said that those who ran red lights or committed other violations would be punished.
“If they are detected they will be booked,” he told the Geelong Advertiser. “It doesn't matter if they are the world champion, the law is the law and they've got to comply with it.
“We're going to have a huge influx of bikes in the next week or so. Of all my members on the highway patrol, no-one is having a day off so we are going to have a massive presence in the area.”
Gilbert is considered as perhaps the strongest of race favourites for Sunday’s road race.