April 6 (Reuters) – Tadej Pogacar clinched a record-equalling third Tour of Flanders title on Sunday but the Slovenian could face a fine from local authorities after running a red light at a railway crossing.
Pogacar and a few other cyclists at the front of the peloton continued across the tracks despite warnings as they looked to reel in a breakaway, while the rest of the chasing pack came to a halt.
The four-times Tour de France champion said he was not given sufficient warning to slow down for the crossing.
“Suddenly three guys jump on the middle of the road and start waving to stop,” he said in a press conference. “How can you stop in one second? I think they could prevent this by stopping us before, no? Not 10 metres before the crossing.
“I was thinking, maybe it’s like some protesters or something crazy is going on.”
Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws reported that the East Flanders Public Prosecutor’s Office intended to prosecute the riders, who could be hit with fines ranging from 320 euros to 4,000 euros ($4,609) as well as a driving ban of eight days.
($1 = 0.8678 euros)
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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