Filippo Ganna had high hopes for this cycling season, it was going to be a dream come true but instead, it became a disaster, as Ganna has been disqualified from the Tour De La Provence.
Things were going very smooth for the Ineos Grenadiers rider as he won the prologue of Tour De La Provence, although the Montagne de Lure summit seemed difficult he still made it to the top-10 finish. After the race was finished, the results sheet was revised and it turned out that Ganna was listed as “DSQ”- which means Disqualified.
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The main reason behind is disqualification is an illegal bike exchange, the UCI officials have deemed a bike exchange at a predetermined location illegal. After the halfway point of the final stage, Ganna stopped at the front of the bunch and changed his normal disc brake bike to a rim brake bike. That bike proved to be lighter and would provide an advantage for the upcoming climb.
Although changing bikes are allowed to a certain degree, in order to change the bike, the rider has to be serviced by a team car. Ganna, on the other hand, abused this rule and changed the bike at a fixed predetermined location alongside the road. This seemed like it was planned before the race even started, fueling his disqualification.
The UCI Regulations state,
Mechanical assistance at fixed locations on the course is limited to wheel changes only except for races on a circuit where bike changes can be made in the authorized zones.
Ganna had a lead on Julian Alaphilppe, but the day ended with a disaster. Alaphilippe also made an error while trying to catch up with Ganna but finished at the seventh position. Nairo Quintana on the other hand destroyed everyone on Montagne De Lure.
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Also Read: Filippo Ganna Seeking To Explore Possibilities Beyond Time Trials In 2022
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