Mugshots of 'gay cyclists' Ten Dam and Dekker released after bizarre story from the US: "Spent the night in jail"

Laurens ten Dam didn't make much of an impact at Unbound, but the 43-year-old Dutchman has extensively reflected on his adventure in America in his podcast Live Slow Ride Fast. And it was about more than just the gravel race. Together with Thomas Dekker, he had a bizarre experience, spent a night in jail and they recounted the insane race.

"Lachlan Morton is a wonderful winner," Dekker opens. "Anyone following this sport will be at peace with this victory." Ten Dam also acknowledges Morton's popularity. "He hangs out with everyone after the race, joking around. He didn’t fit into the pro cycling world, it was too closed off. He should just hit the road, be the gentleman. Everyone is rooting for him."

Dekker and Ten Dam end up in American jail before Unbound

A few days before the race, Dekker and Ten Dam found themselves in a bizarre adventure. "24 hours after Thomas landed, we were neatly handcuffed and taken to the jail in Marietta by police car. What happened? We were driving to our usual supermarket, got to the parking lot, and the supermarket was just flattened to the ground. There had been a tornado, the entire warehouse and supermarket were just gone."

So they needed a plan B. "We decided to have lunch at the Mexican restaurant instead. It was still pretty early. We had already trained for three hours and were quite hungry by half past one in the afternoon. I wanted to take a quick cold shower, and Thomas poured some water over me. We were standing between the car doors rinsing ourselves off. Suddenly I hear a man yelling loudly. But we just wanted to freshen up before going to the Mexican restaurant."

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The men quickly changed clothes. "What's the problem?" asked Dekker to the man. "I sort of saw it coming. There were a lot of people in that restaurant. Suddenly there were five police cars. The man who had been yelling was also there and said, 'you have to go to jail for this,' typical redneck. They focused entirely on Thomas first. He was frisked and then handcuffed. So I thought, crap," says Ten Dam. "Then I had to turn around and I was handcuffed too."

From orange suit to fingerprints: Dekker and Ten Dam did not have an ideal Unbound preparation

"I didn't dare do anything, I had five guns pointed at me, even though those people had the IQ of a shrimp," Dekker sneers. The conservative area they were staying in didn’t help with the investigation. "I thought, maybe I could offer some counterarguments, but these people weren't listening," Ten Dam says. Dekker was taken to jail. "I think the place was about four by four, no windows, iron toilet. Small sink, that was it." Both riders were held for 'undesirable behavior' on the public road.

"We were given some food, under a blanket. By then we were cold. It took a long time and fingerprints were taken. We also got orange suits, we were really inmate Laurens and inmate Thomas." The gentlemen paid their bail and were allowed to await their trial at home. "Walking around naked in the street apparently caused so much offense. It’s just not allowed there, it clashes hugely with my own values," says Dekker. "The charges said that we, as gay cyclists, were spraying each other with water."

Ten Dam and Dekker ultimately spent nine hours in jail. "It all ended up badly. And the crash of Ivar Slik put our problems into perspective." The race itself was not a great success for the duo. "I was up front for a long time, but I felt huge pressure on my legs," says Dekker. "Lau said he wasn't doing so well. He got a bit better and I just got worse. Also, Niki Terpstra and Jasper Ockeloen gradually ran out of steam, ahead of Little Egypt." Ten Dam was also not at his best. "I was at my limit very early on. Also, the tires I had, I hadn't thought well about them, they were too heavy. I had to pedal too many watts just to keep up."