Tour of Flanders Stars Face Prosecution After Ignoring Railway Signal in Wichelen

A group of riders including Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates and Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe ignored a red light at a railway crossing in Wichelen during the 2026 Tour of Flanders, splitting the peloton and triggering a judicial response from Belgian authorities. The incident occurred at kilometer 212 of the race, at the level crossing in Paepestraat, when the signal turned red as the front group was approaching at full speed. Mikkel Bjerg of UAE Team Emirates was driving the pace at the front when the lights activated, and the leading section of the peloton, including Pogačar and Evenepoel, continued through before the barriers had fully descended. The second part of the peloton, which included Wout van Aert of Visma–Lease a Bike and Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin–Premier Tech, stopped and waited for the barriers to rise before proceeding. Race management subsequently instructed the front group to slow down, allowing the held-up riders to reconnect, while the lead of the 13 breakaway riders was maintained in accordance with race regulations.

Prosecutor's office promises court appearances for offenders The Public Prosecutor's Office of East Flanders confirmed that the incident will carry judicial consequences for the riders who crossed the red light. According to the prosecutor's office, the offending riders will be identified, a police report will be drawn up, and they will be required to appear before the police court. Ignoring a red light at a railway crossing constitutes a fourth-category offense under Belgian law, a classification cited by the prosecutor's office. The UCI also weighed in, with an anonymous commissioner stating that riders are obliged to stop for a red light and that anyone who rides through must be removed from the race. The commissioner noted that the decision rests with the jury president in consultation with the video assistant referee, and that the only possible nuance is whether the red light was already active at the exact moment each rider passed. Despite the clear regulatory language, information reported by Het Nieuwsblad indicated that the chance of Pogačar or Evenepoel being disqualified or later removed from the results was described as virtually non-existent. A reference was made to the 2006 Paris-Roubaix, in which Peter Van Petegem and Leif Hoste were removed from the results for a similar violation at a railway crossing.

Infrabel calls crossing a life-threatening bad example Infrabel, the Belgian rail network manager, expressed strong disapproval of the incident. Spokesman Frederic Petit stated that the red light obligates all road users to stop, without exception, and that this rule applies equally during a cycling race. „When the lights are red, you must stop. That is the case every single day in our society and that naturally also applies in a cycling race.” — Frederic Petit via vrtnws.be Petit explained that coordination between the race organization, police, and traffic control is established in advance, and that it is possible to hold a train for a few minutes if safety requires it. He said that at this particular crossing, that coordination did not take place, resulting in the peloton being split. Petit described the behavior of the riders who crossed as a bad example and said Infrabel regretted the incident. He also noted that approximately six level crossings remain on the Tour of Flanders route, expressing hope that the rest of the race would proceed safely.

Race neutralized, but regulatory questions linger over result The Tour of Flanders, known in Dutch as the Ronde van Vlaanderen, is one of cycling's five Monument classics and is held annually in Belgium. The 2006 Paris-Roubaix incident involving Peter Van Petegem and Leif Hoste, cited in the source articles, established a precedent for disqualification when riders ignore railway signals during professional races. Level crossings on race routes have long been a logistical challenge for organizers, requiring advance coordination with rail operators to ensure both rider safety and uninterrupted train traffic. The race management's decision to neutralize the front group drew frustration from within the UAE Team Emirates camp, with Mikkel Bjerg reportedly unhappy that his pace-setting work was complicated by the intervention. Race commissaires explained the decision to riders including Florian Vermeersch. The lead of the 13 breakaway riders, which had grown from 3 minutes 30 seconds to 5 minutes 10 seconds during the confusion, was preserved as the regulations require. The split between the two groups was ultimately resolved within a few kilometers, with the peloton reuniting before the race's decisive climbs. The judicial process, however, will continue beyond the finish line, with Belgian authorities committed to identifying and prosecuting each rider who crossed the signal.

212 (km) — kilometer marker where level crossing incident occurred

Level Crossing Incident — 2026 Tour of Flanders: — ; — ; — ; —