Gianni Moscon has been suspended from competition for six weeks by Team Sky for reportedly making racist comments to FDJ’s Kevin Reza during the Tour de Romandie.
The incident occurred during stage three of the Swiss race on Friday, won by Sky’s Elia Viviani.
It is unclear exactly what Moscon said to Reza. A video of Sky’s stage win celebrations posted by the team via its Twitter account clearly shows Reza in a heated discussion with Moscon in the background.
📹 Some very happy @TeamSky riders after that win from @eliaviviani. Big leadout, big finish! #TDR2017🇨🇭 📹 pic.twitter.com/rnQgSfW30K
— Team Sky 🚲 (@TeamSky) April 28, 2017
Immediately after the stage, Reza’s team-mate Sebastien Reichenbach appeared to refer to the incident on Twitter, saying: “Shocked to hear imbeciles still use racist insults in the pro peloton. You are a shame for our sport.”
Choqué d'entendre encore des imbéciles utiliser des insultes racistes dans le peloton pro. Vous êtes une honte pour notre sport. 😡 #TDR2017
— Seb Reichenbach (@reichenbach_seb) April 28, 2017
A statement issued by the team on Monday said that Reza accepted Moscon’s apology directly after the conversation, but nevertheless Team Sky has disciplined its 23-year-old rider. The statement does not specify the nature of the comments made by Moscon.
“Following a disciplinary meeting with Team Sky concerning an incident at the Tour of Romandie, Gianni Moscon has been given a formal written warning and suspended from racing for six weeks. He will also attend a diversity awareness course,” said the statement.
Kevin Reza. Photo: Yuzuru Sunada
“Gianni recognises that his behaviour was wrong and how seriously Team Sky take this kind of incident.
“He apologised to Kevin Reza after the stage and again to him and his team the following morning, and this apology was accepted. Gianni knows that there is no excuse for his behaviour and that any repeat will result in termination of his contract.”
Moscon could also face a disciplinary action from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) over the incident.
