Remco Evenepoel has said he is waiting for an apology from the UCI over the investigation launched into an incident at Il Lombardia last August when a small bottle was taken from his back pocket as he lay on the ground injured.
UCI president David Lappartient said after the incident teams were not permitted to use data devices to track their riders during races, though Evenepoel’s Deceuninck-QuickStep team insisted it had broken no rules and has since been cleared of wrongdoing.
“Every rider knows that in the final there is a water
bottle with sugars and a little caffeine. I think every rider who has to ride
the final has something like that,” Evenepoel has told Sporza of the bottle.
“I sent an email together with my parents to UCI president Lappartient. To say: is that necessary now? I never got an apology and that’s something… the day I can use it, he’ll know. It is a pity that the riders and the UCI are not allies.”
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The team said at the time the item taken from Evenepoel's pocket as he lay on the ground having crashed over a bridge was a small bottle containing nutrients for consumption during the race.
It added the bottle was removed from Evenepoel’s pocket
to make him more comfortable as he was placed onto a stretcher and into the
ambulance. The team’s directeur sportif Davide Bramati rushed to help Evenepoel
after he crashed off a bridge during the race, breaking his pelvis.
He could be seen taking something from Evenepoel’s
pocket, leading to speculation in some quarters that it was an authorised data
device sending data from Evenepoel to the team during the race.
Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF) commenced an inquiry into the incident as UCI president Lappartient insisted data devices were not allowed, though last October the inquiry was concluded and all parties cleared of any wrongdoing.
Evenepoel also told Sporza while his broken pelvis still had to heal more, he had been cleared to return to training on his bike, having recently been forced to stop after he rushed his recovery late last year.
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