Tao Geoghegan Hart crossed the end line in second place on stage 2 of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana however was later relegated to ninth, dropping priceless bonus seconds.
The Ineos Grenadiers rider was punished for an ‘irregular’ dash by the race jury, who deemed that he deviated from his line and obstructed Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious).
The pair had been each sprinting within the wake of stage winner Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), with Geoghegan Hart beginning out on the right-hand aspect of the slender house straight and drifting left as Bilbao appeared to hit out and cross him.
The pair touched shoulders by the obstacles, adjusting barely to keep away from a crash earlier than crossing the road side-by-side.
Geoghegan Hart was initially awarded second place, however the race jury reviewed the footage and took the acquainted motion of relegation, placing the Briton to the again of the nine-man group that contested the end.
Though he was given the identical ending time, he needed to forfeit the six bonus seconds given to the second-place finisher. Bilbao, in the meantime, was bumped up from third place to second, his bonuses rising from 4 to 6 seconds.
The choice might have an effect on the general classification within the occasion of a detailed battle on the weekend’s last phases. Geoghegan Hart falls from second total at 4 seconds to eighth at 10 seconds, whereas Bilbao – who additionally claimed a bonus second on the intermediate dash – now sits at three seconds behind Ciccone.
“I couldn’t fairly get onto the wheel, so Ciccone had already taken just a few metres, and there was so little area it wasn’t doable to get again to him,” Bilbao stated with out commenting on Geoghegan Hart. “I do know the time bonuses shall be necessary, so in the previous few metres, I attempted every little thing to complete second.”
Bilbao was described as “pissed off” by his crew, with director Franco Pellizotti highlighting a “slight miscommunication,” probably between Bilbao and co-leader Mikel Landa, whose assault drew Ciccone out. Landa positioned fourth after the revision of the outcomes, giving the crew two playing cards to play.
Ineos even have two playing cards to play, however Geoghegan Hart was stronger than Carlos Rodriguez on the quick last climb, shutting down a harmful assault from Brandon McNulty and Thomas Gloag earlier than accelerating away within the scramble for the road. The 2020 Giro d’Italia champion and the Spanish champion are each 10 seconds down on Ciccone.
🔴¡VICTORIA para Giulio Ciccone en el Alto de Pinos! #VCV2023 Aguantó la intentona de Mikel Landa y dio el do de pecho en los metros finales para llevarse la victoria y vestirse de líderhttps://t.co/HNRVrFpe0w pic.twitter.com/eNSO1406blFebruary 2, 2023
