Ammattilaispyöräilyjuttuja, joille ei viitsi avata omaa otsikkoa

[Opulus]

Espanjanmestarin paidassa ajava Baskimaan oma poika Alex Aranburu (Cofidis) voitti eilen Itzulia Basque Countryn - tuo on tosiaan Baskimaan ympäriajon virallinen nimi - kolmannen etapin vain tullakseen hylätyksi, koska oli poikennut reitiltä ja hyötynyt siitä eli valinnut väärän puolen kiertoliittymässä. Toisena maaliin tullut Romain Grégoire ehdittiin jo julistaa voittajaksi...

...kunnes kilpailun tuomaristo perui päätöksensä tutkittuaan lisämateriaalia, mukaanlukien kilpailun "Road Book" ja VeloViewer. Aranburu oli kuin olikin ajanut nimenomaan oikeaa reittiä eli juuri sitä "Road Bookissa" esitettyä, johon UCI:n sääntöjenkin mukaan kilpailijoiden tulee tutustua etukäteen. Järjestäjät vain olivat erehtyneet eli viitoitus puomeineen oli tehty väärin.

With one kilometre to go, Alex Aranburu gained a few metres’ advantage and managed to cross the finish line ahead of Romain Grégoire (GFC, 122). Following a review by the VAR officials, Alex Aranburu was disqualified for incorrectly navigating one of the last roundabouts. This allowed Romain Grégoire (GFC, 122) to secure his second Itzulia win. Hours later, after several objections, the team of stewards decided to return the stage victory to Alex Aranburu. The statement read as follows:
“Following the initial footage received, we made the decision to disqualify rider number 51 for ‘Deviation from the race route constituting an advantage,’ as the images appeared to show that the rider had taken the roundabout in a way that was deviating from the signposted route.
However, after receiving and reviewing additional evidence, including data from Veloviewer, the roadbook, and the team, it became clear that all available information indicated that the roundabout in question was to be taken in the manner chosen by the Cofidis rider.
In accordance with Article 1.2.064 of the UCI regulations, which states that “Riders shall study the course in advance”. In this case, the rider correctly followed the indicated path.
Furthermore, the rider’s advantage continued to increase after exiting the roundabout and all the way to the finish line.
The race organiser was also consulted and confirmed that there had been a signage error at the roundabout in question.
Therefore, the Commissaires’ Panel has decided to overturn its initial decision, and the rider’s passage over the finish line is confirmed as valid