Enrico Zanoncello from Bardiani CSF 7 Sabre has been thrown out of the Giro d'Italia after an alleged headbutt in the sprint on stage 15.
Enrico Zanoncello and Bob Donaldson headed into the finale shoulder-to-shoulder as 24-year-old Donaldson took a tumble after the incident, as Uno-X Mobility’s Frederik Dversnes went on to take a surprise victory in Milan.
Officials stated that the infringement was a “deviation from the chosen line that endangers another rider" after reviewing the sprint after the end of the race.
Zanoncello was also handed a 500CHF (Swiss francs) fine, and docked 13 points in the points classification (he started the day with 14) and was given a yellow card.
Riders who are awarded two yellow cards in a single race are disqualified and suspended from racing for seven days according to UCI's rules. But unusually, the jury thought that Zanoncello’s actions were so serious that they felt forced to issue an immediate disqualification.