Bad news for Guillaume Martin, his Cofidis team, and especially for France, with a view to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The French climber put on a very strong performance in the Italian competition Gran Piemonte this Thursday. The cyclist secured 4th place in Favria, behind Andrea Bagioli (Soudal Quick-Step), Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates), and Alex Aranburu (Movistar Team). However, the 30-year-old cyclist was disqualified by the race commissioners shortly after the race.
The judges claimed that Martin had violated a rule that states: “using an improper position on the bicycle,” likely during the final descent.
Martin not only loses the prize for his 4th place finish but also the 100 UCI points that come with it. He is also fined 500 Swiss francs and has 15 UCI points that the cyclist would have received for the placement deducted.
Portuguese Rui Costa (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) benefits from the disqualification, moving up one position in the final classification of Gran Piemonte and now accumulates 85 points in the UCI rankings.
Updated Gran Piemonte results:
