The women’s cycling team from America was penalized for disguising a mechanic as a cyclist in order to not be disqualified from the race.
A United States-based cycling team for women has faced consequences for trying to present a mechanic as an officially certified cyclist during a cycling event in Belgium in July 2023.
Cynisca Cycling had plans to participate in the Argenta Classic in Belgium on July 9, 2023, according to a statement from the team to CBS News. However, due to an illness, there were not enough riders available to compete. In an effort to still participate, team sports director Danny Van Haute made an attempt to have team mechanic Moira Barrett pose as a registered rider by dressing her in cycling attire and having other team members falsify her identity. Both the racing team and the Union Cycliste Internationale, which oversees the Belgium race and other events, acknowledged this incident.
According to the UCI, Barrett was instructed to appear at the starting line and declare herself as the fifth rider for the team. The specifics of how the fraudulent act was uncovered are unknown, but in their statement, Cynisca stated that the team was prohibited from participating in the race and a report was made to the UCI’s disciplinary board.
Kerry Breen
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Source: cbsnews.com