The UCI has banned US team Cynisca Cycling from its next planned race, and also fined the squad, after it found it had told its riders to lie, then dressed up a team mechanic as a rider, to ensure it could ride a race.
Two members of the team - a sports director and mechanic - have been banned until the end of next year and the end of August this year respectively.
While four riders were also found to be involved, they have only been reprimanded, meaning their involvement and blame was found to be minimal and required no real sanction.
The issue centres on the team having only four riders available to line out at Argenta Classic-2 Districtenpijl Ekeren-Deurne in Belgium last July. It was only eligible to start the event if at least five riders were available.
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The UCI began a disciplinary process and has found the four riders who were available were told by a sports director to sign on and lie that they had a fifth team mate present. The sports director then told one of the team's mechanics to dress up as a rider, with a face mask, and sign on, thus presenting as the fifth member of the team.
The UCI said in a statement on Monday it had referred the case to its disciplinary commission following "a potential case of fraudulent actions by members of Cynisca Cycling with the objective of enabling the team’s participation" in the one-day race last simmer.
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The disciplinary commission found "only four riders were present and available to start the event" but that "several members of the team had participated in a fraud" - under article 12.4.008 of the UCI regulations. They had done this by "attempting to deceive the commissaires’ panel into believing that a fifth rider was present" and could take part in the event.
"The team’s sports director, Danny Van Haute, instructed the riders present - Anna Hicks, Cara O’Neil, Katherine Sarkisov and Claire Windsor - to lie about the whereabouts of a fifth rider – who was not physically present at the venue – when questioned by the commissaires," the UCI has said.
"The riders stated to the president of the commissaires’ panel that a fifth rider was present but ill. Then, upon being informed by the commissaires that the team could not participate if all five riders did not sign the start sheet and take the start, Mr Van Haute instructed the team mechanic, Moira Barrett, to wear a rider’s clothes and a face mask, to present herself at the start and sign the start sheet as the team’s fifth rider."
The UCI added while all of the above mentioned members of the team were found to have been part of the plan, they had "different levels of implication". Danny Van Haute was found to be "the main perpetrator and was sanctioned with a suspension from any activity in cycling" until the end of 2025 as well as a fine.
"Moira Barrett played an active role in the fraud by wearing a rider’s clothes and attempting to sign the start sheet as the team’s fifth rider. She was sanctioned with a suspension from any activity in cycling until 1st September 2024," the UCI added.
"Anna Hicks, Cara O’Neil, Katherine Sarkisov and Claire Windsor were found to have followed Danny Van Haute’s instructions and sanctioned with a reprimand under article 12.3.002 of the UCI Regulations.
"Finally, the team was sanctioned with a suspension effective for the next event on the UCI international calendar for which its participation is confirmed as well as a fine. The decision remains subject to a possible appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport."
