Filippo Ganna disqualified from Tour de la Provence for illegal bike change

Filippo Ganna was disqualified on the final stage of the Tour de la Provence for an illegal bike change mid-way through the race.

The Italian fell foul of UCI rules after stopping near the front of the bunch to swap his normal disc brake bike to a lighter, rim brake version before the final climb of the Tour de la Provence. Bike changes during races is allowed, but must be completed from a team car at the back of the bunch - something Ganna failed to adhere to.

In fact, it seems Ganna switched bikes at a predetermined location, which isn't allowed under UCI regulations. A bike must always come from a support vehicle, unless explicitly permitted otherwise, for example during a time trial at the foot of a final climb.

The 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."

The Ineos Grenadiers rider won the prologue time trial convincingly, and entered the final stage to Montagne de Lure with the leader's jersey, though the steep 13.4km final climb with a gradient of 6.5 per cent made it unlikely Ganna would hold onto first place in Provence. 

On the final stage of Tour de la Provence the 25-year-old finished 12th, with this result seemingly dropping him to seventh-place overall in the general classification. Regardless, Ganna produced a strong performance for a rider not associated with challenging during climbs.

However, officials submitted a revised results sheet after the conclusion of the race, listing Ganna as 'DSQ' - disqualified - ultimately removing him from the general classification and losing the corresponding UCI points.

Nairo Quintana of Arkéa Samsic won the final stage to take overall victory at the race, finishing half a minute ahead of everyone else to take his first victories of the season. He attacked during the climb to the finish line, managing to shake off Julian Alaphilippe in the process to cap a memorable performance.