Gianni Moscon disqualified from Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne for throwing bike

Gianni Moscon has been disqualified from Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne for throwing a bike after a crash.

The Team Ineos rider was involved in a fall in the bunch in the final 100km of the Belgian one-day race, and was caught on camera throwing a competitors bike out of the way, hitting another rider with it in the process.

Moscon was then filmed sitting up, pulling off his race numbers and tearing one up at around 50km to go after he was told he had been kicked off the race for his behaviour.

The incident happened as the 2020 edition of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne entered the final few climbs and a nervous peloton tried to chase down the five-rider breakaway.

A crash on a narrow stretch of farm road caused chaos and split the bunch, as Moscon was one of the riders caught up in the incident.

The 25-year-old was then filmed picking up a rival's bike from a pile on the floor and throwing it behind him into a ditch.

In the process, Moscon hit another rider with the bike, with the rival then struggling to keep his footing.

This is far from Moscon's first offence. In 2017 he racially abused then FDJ rider Kévin Reza at the Tour de Romandie. He was allowed to finish the race but was later punished by Team Sky.

Then in the 2017 World Championships, Moscon was disqualified from the race after a video of him emerged being towed by the Italian team car following a crash.

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Moscon was again embroiled in controversy after FDJ’s Sébastien Reichenbach accused the Italian of deliberately causing him to crash. This case was dropped by the UCI because no video of the incident existed.

He was then kicked off the 2018 Tour de France and given a five-week ban by the UCI after he was filmed striking out at Frenchman Elie Gesbert (Fortuneo-Samsic) early on stage 15.