Vincenzo Nibali is counting the cost of benefiting from the power of four wheels — albeit briefly — after he was thrown out of one of cycling’s major races.
The Italian cyclist was disqualified from La Vuelta a España — the Tour of Spain — after he was filmed holding on to his Astana Pro Team (APT) team car for 200 meters on stage two after suffering a crash.
“The Commissioners have announced their decision after seeing Eurosport video footage showing Nibali hanging on to his team car,” said a Vuelta a España statement.
“The Commissioners have decided to disqualify the Italian rider and his team director, Alexander Sheffer, who was driving the Astana car.”
The 30-year-old Nibali, who issued an apology on his Facebook page to “anyone who is angry or ashamed of me,” is one of only six men to have won all three Grand Tours — the 2010 Tour of Spain, the 2013 Giro d’Italia and the 2014 Tour de France.
APT has been affected by its fair share of doping scandals.
The team’s general manager Alexandre Vinokourov, now 41, tested positive for blood doping at the 2007 Tour de France, leading to a brief early retirement spell.
Last year, five riders from APT’s first team and its developmental squad tested positive for banned substances, resulting in an International Cycling Union review of the team’s license.