Elia Viviani apologises for missing San Luis podium ceremony in 'rage'
Elia Viviani says he did not know if he could control himself after his teammate Jakub Mareczko beat him at the Tour de San Luis, which led him to miss the podium ceremony

Jakub Mareczko wins Stage 7 of the 2016 Tour de San Luis
Elia Viviani wasn't happy that his teammate Jakub Mareczko beat him to the win on the final stage of the Tour de San Luis - so angry that he rode straight back to the team hotel.
The pair were riding for the Italian national team in the race and Lampre-Merida's Mareczko was due to lead Team Sky's Viviani out in the sprint.
Instead, the pair went head-to-head, with Mareczko taking the win and the top step on the podium. Viviani didn't go to the presentation, he was so angry, but later apologised for his actions.
Taking to Twitter on Monday, Viviani explained that his decision was wrong, but he was not sure that he would be able to control himself on the podium.
“With a cool head, I apologise to all the fans, to the Tour de San Luis, and to the Italian Cycling Federation for my bad gesture,” he wrote.
“I wasn’t myself, I wasn’t expecting it and I was enraged and out of control. The decision I made was the wrong one, but I did it because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to control myself.
“That said, there will be people who think I don’t deserve the azzurra [Italian blue] jersey, but others who know how much I do for the azzurra jersey."
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Viviani returns to Europe and Team Sky this week at Challenge Mallorca - a series of one-day races on the Spanish island between January 28-31.
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Stuart Clarke is a News Associates trained journalist who has worked for the likes of the British Olympic Associate, British Rowing and the England and Wales Cricket Board, and of course Cycling Weekly. His work at Cycling Weekly has focused upon professional racing, following the World Tour races and its characters.
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