Mathieu van der Pol has been allowed to leave Australia after paying a $1,500 fine for allegedly arguing with two teenagers on the eve of the elite men's road race at the World Championships in Wollongong.

Dutch broadcaster NOS (opens in new tab) followed the trial and spoke to Van der Pol's Australian lawyer, who said that Van der Pol has paid the fine and obtained a passport and is already on a flight home. Van der Paul's lawyer said he plans to appeal against the ruling.

New South Wales police said Sunday that a man at the hotel where the Dutch team is staying allegedly got into an argument with two teenage girls, ages 13 and 14.

"In addition, the man allegedly pushed the two teenagers, causing one to fall to the ground and the other to be pushed against a wall, causing minor abrasions to his elbow," NSW police said in a statement sent to Cycling News.

"Officers from the St. George Police Area Command responded and arrested the 27-year-old man shortly after. He was taken to the Kogarah police station where he was charged with two counts of common assault.

Van der Pol gave the truth about the incident in an interview with Sporza before the start of the road race.

"I went to bed early and noticed that a lot of kids in the hallway of my room needed to keep knocking on my door. They knocked a few times and I got sick of it. I didn't ask them to stop. Then the police were called and I was taken away," Van der Poel explained to Sporza.

Van der Poel started the men's road race but retired an hour later. He was held at the police station until 4:00 a.m. and reportedly fell asleep shortly before the race started. He was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, but paid $1,500 to expedite his departure from Australia.

The judge apparently ruled against Van der Pol, saying that Van der Pol had broken the law himself instead of calling hotel security.

"Many of us would do the same thing. When the pressure is on, we all make mistakes," Van der Poel's attorney, Michael Bowe, told NOS.

"His partner was in tears and he himself was very disappointed in the outcome," the lawyer said after the hearing. 'He told me he felt he had let down his country and his team.'

Van der Pol did not give interviews to Dutch and Australian television stations after the hearing and dashed to the airport to catch his flight home. It is not certain whether he will race again this season.