More than 30 cyclists have been disqualified from the Giro d’Italia under-23 after they allegedly broke the rules of the race.
The cameras captured the cyclists clinging to the team’s cars and motorcycles during the climb up the Passo dello Stelvio. The infamous stage of the race consists of a steep climb up the mountain.
After a race jury reviewed fan-filmed videos, it disqualified 24 riders. After further review on Thursday morning, an additional seven riders were disqualified.
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The peloton racing in Piazza Venezia in Rome during the 106th Giro d’Italia 2023. (Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Wednesday’s stage four was the «queen stage» of the race, which has been renamed the Giro Next Gen. It ended with the prestigious and difficult climb of the Stelvio.
Fans lined the sides of the climb, and the riders seemed unaware they were being filmed as they appeared to break the rules, some chatting and laughing amongst themselves as they clung to the sides and rear of team cars. .
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Of the disqualified cyclists, 24 were Italian and seven foreigners, including Belgian cyclist Tijl De Decker, who won this year’s Paris-Roubaix Under 23. Four team personnel and their cars were also excluded from the race.
«What we saw was really offensive to those who correctly interpret this sport,» Italian Cycling Federation president Cordiano Dagnoni said on Thursday. “These are images that really hurt.
The peloton racing in central Rome during the 106th Giro d’Italia 2023. (Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
«It is correct to apply the rules and, above all, I am disappointed by the behavior of the sports directors in the team cars because they should be the first to teach youngsters to respect the rules.»
Riders and teams could face further punishment from the federation or even the International Cycling Union.
The ASD GC Sissio team had four of their five riders ruled out, while the Italian teams Ciclistica Rostese and Technipes each lost three riders.
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«I asked (race organizers) RCS Sport to invite at least half of the Italian teams,» Dagnoni said. «At this point, given the behavior of our teams and our riders, I no longer feel like recommending that they be invited in the future. I will leave RCS Sport free to invite teams at their discretion.»
Associated Press contributed to this report.