Vincenzo Nibali disqualified from Vuelta a Espana for holding onto Astana team car
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ByEurosport
Updated 24/08/2015 at 12:33 GMT
Astana team leader Vincenzo Nibali has been disqualfied after taking unauthorised assistance from the team car, in order to catch up with the peloton, during stage two.
Vincenzo Nibali, en La Vuelta 2015
Image credit: EFE
Television footage clearly showed Nibali, who won the Vuelta in 2010, hanging onto the car as he tried to catch up with the leaders in the final 30 kilometres and organisers had no choice but to expel him.
The Italian national champion took hold of the vehicle in order to drag himself closer to the peloton after being held up in a large pile-up that split the pack.
In July Nibali allegedly broke one of the unwritten rules of cycling during the Tour de France when making the most of the mechanical suffered by race leader Chris Froome by launching an attack en route to a stage win at La Toussuire.
Some will say that this latest development is a case of karma catching up with the 30-year-old Sicilian.
Having used up three Astana team-mates, Nibali was forced to latch on to the team car as he sought to rejoin the peloton ahead of the final climb.
“We saw the videos,” said the race jury president, Bruno Valcic. “We watched the film together with Astana director Stefano Zanini.
“The penalties are really clear — the commissaires had to disqualify Nibali from the race. The sports director driving the car, Alexandre Shefer, is also out of the race.
"The film shows clearly that Nibali was clinging to the car for 200 metres," added Valcic.
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