The UCI has referred the matter of Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) reportedly 'deliberately' helping non-teammate Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) at the Giro d'Italia to its Ethics Commission.
De Bondt's actions will be investigated further by the independent body, after the UCI deemed that the Belgian's actions on stage 20 called "into question the integrity of competition", after he told media that he pulled on the front for the GC challenger with an eye on securing employment for 2026.
"Following a preliminary investigation into comments made at the end of the 20th stage of the Giro d'Italia (31 May) by the Belgian Dries De Bondt, rider for UCI WorldTeam Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has deemed that they were clearly of a nature to call into question the integrity of the competition," read a UCI statement on Friday.
"According to his comments, reported by several media, Dries De Bondt deliberately helped a rider from the EF Education-Easy Post team following a suggestion from one of that team's Sport Directors that this could help the rider secure a contract offer for next season."
De Bondt confirmed the reason for his long pull on the front over the Colle delle Finestre to WielerFlits, leaving no ambiguity in his desire to express his availability on the market for next season.
"I still haven't received clarity from my team whether I will be allowed to stay in 2026. So, it seemed like a good idea to market myself during the Giro," De Bondt told WielerFlits, explaining that he told fellow Belgian, EF Education-EasyPost coach Ken Vanmarcke, during the race, "If you're looking for riders for 2026, I'm still on the market."
Vanmarcke then reportedly asked whether the 33-year-old was going to try and get into the day's break, telling De Bondt, "If you're in there and you can play a role somewhere that's important in the final result, something serious can come from that."
"That's what inspired me to do what I did for Carapaz," said De Bondt, with his comments now landing him in hot water with the sport's governing body.
"On this basis, the UCI has decided to refer the matter to its Ethics Commission for a ruling on the facts and to consider possible sanctions against the rider and/or the Sport Director if their behaviour is found to be in breach of the UCI Code of Ethics, in particular Articles 8.1 and 2 of Annex 2," said the UCI, referring to the 'Manipulation of cycling events' section of the Code.
"No further comment will be made until the conclusion of the proceedings."
