Pro cycling's greatest injustices

After Richie Porte was penalised for accepting a wheel from a rival rider at the Giro, we take a look back at other harsh verdicts handed out to riders over the years

Simon Clarke helps Richie Porte after a flat tyre on stage ten of the 2015 Giro d'Italia

(Image credit: Graham Watson)

When Simon Clarke stopped to give Richie Porte a wheel after the latter had punctured during stage 10 of the 2015 Giro d'Italia, many recognised the gesture as a rarely-seen piece of sportsmanship. Two riders from rival teams: one helping the other out in the interests of fair racing.

What neither of the fellow Australians seemed to realise at the time was that their actions were strictly against UCI race rules. After the stage, the race jury decided that both riders should be fined and handed a time penalty. In the case of Porte, that meant he slipped from third at the start of the day to 12th by the end of it.

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