Women’s Cycling Team Suspended for Disguising One of Its Mechanics as a Rider to Meet Requirement

Jasper Jacobs/AP

A U.S. ladies’s biking workforce has been suspended after it was revealed the staff disguised a mechanic as a rider to satisfy a contest requirement, CNN pronounced Tuesday.

At last July’s Argenta Traditional in Belgium, groups were required to have at least five riders. Cynisca Cycling, then again, arrived with just 4. In a observation, the International Biking Union (UCI), mentioned staff Sports Director Danny Van Haute advised the 4 riders to lie to race organizers about the whereabouts of their fifth rider. Then, Van Haute instructed team mechanic Moira Barrett to position on biking tools and a face mask and sign the start sheet as Cynisca’s fifth rider.

Per UCI rules, the incident is thought to be an act of fraud.

The four riders — Anna Hicks, Cara O’Neil, Katherine Sarkisov, and Claire Windsor — had been reprimanded for his or her roles within the fraud. Barrett used to be suspended from “any activity in biking” until Sept. 1.

Van Haute, who the UCI found to be the “primary perpetrator,” has been suspended unless Dec. 31, 2025.

The staff as an entire used to be also punished. The UCI introduced that in addition to a nice, Cynisca would not compete in the next event on the UCI International Calendar.

Cynisca referred to as the incident a “one-time mistake via a rogue director” in a remark to CNN.

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