Lidl-Trek’s sun shades provider, 100%, has pledged to cowl the positive acquired by Giulio Ciccone for his eyewear-toss victory celebration.
The Italian was fined 250 Swiss Francs (£228 / $304) and docked 15 UCI factors for throwing his sun shades into the gang when he received stage one of many Tour of the Alps on Monday.
The gesture has lengthy been a trademark celebration of Ciccone’s, courting again to at the very least 2019. That is the primary time he has been penalised for doing it.
After Monday’s stage, UCI officers judged the Lidl-Trek rider responsible of “disposing of different objects in a careless method within the end”, consistent with rule 2.12.007 half 8.3, which refers to “disposing of waste or different objects in a careless or harmful method”.
Given the Tour of the Alps shouldn’t be a WorldTour race, Ciccone’s positive was capped at 250 Swiss Francs, a cost eyewear model 100% stated they’d entrance.
“This one’s on us, Lidl-Trek,” 100% wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. “By no means cease celebrating, Giulio Ciccone.”
The Italian’s victory on the Tour of the Alps introduced his first win in virtually two years, and the eleventh of his skilled profession.
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Talking afterwards, he advised Wielerflits that he thought the sunglasses-tossing positive was “ridiculous”.
“However I settle for the positive,” he continued. “In the long run, it’s arduous to say one thing as a result of one thing adjustments within the guidelines yearly. My mistake was to not research the principles, and now I do know.
“It’s at all times unusual to obtain a positive whenever you win the race. I don’t agree, actually, nevertheless it’s like this. We are able to do nothing.”
The primary occasion of Ciccone’s now trademark celebration got here on the Giro d’Italia in 2019, the place he received stage 16. “After I noticed the end line, I let all my anger out. The throw of the Koo glasses was born like this – an instinctive gesture, a liberation,” he’s reported to have later stated.
Ought to Ciccone win one other stage of this week’s Tour of the Alps, and repeat the celebration, he’s prone to obtain an excellent harsher positive of 500 Swiss Francs, and threat disqualification from the race.
The complete wording of the related UCI rule, launched in 2021, reads: “Rider or group employees disposing of waste or different objects exterior of litter zones, or not returned to group or organisation employees, not collected by group employees, thrown at a spectator. Disposing of waste or different objects in a careless or harmful method (e.g. bottle or different object remaining or bouncing again on the street, thrown instantly or with extreme pressure at spectator, inflicting harmful manoeuvre by different rider or automobile, inflicting spectator to maneuver onto the street).”
