French team AG2R La Mondiale have withdrawn Alexandre Geniez and Nico Denz from the Vuelta a España after video footage emerged of the two riders hanging onto a team car during a climb in the race.
Footage from Sunday’s fifteenth stage from Alcala La Real to Sierra Nevada. Alto Hoya de la Mora was posted on Twitter and it shows two of the team’s riders hanging onto the team car with one rider holding a wing mirror and the other holding onto the roof rack.
Frenchman Geniez, who has won stages of the Vuelta in 2013 and 2016 had been sitting in 97th place overall and German Denz had been in 130th place.
The team released the following statement:
“After viewing the video footage that showed two of our riders intentionally holding onto the team car during the 15th stage on Sunday, September 3rd, the management of the AG2R LA MONDIALE team has decided to withdraw Alexandre Geniez and Nico Denz from the Vuelta a Espana.
“The AG2R LA MONDIALE team sincerely apologizes to the organizers and the public for the unsportsmanlike behavior of our riders, which is contrary to our values and our ethics.”
Hey @AG2RLMCyclisme, @lavuelta, @UCI_cycling, you do realise this is a bike *race*, yeah? pic.twitter.com/PKWzC9UBn1
— Scott O'Raw (@velocast) September 4, 2017
Well done a good decision.
Bit harsh, wasn’t the riders fault that their ebike batteries died on that hill..
Your not telling me the team car didn’t realise they were there, expell the whole team.