The UCI is investigating this cyclist for helping a rival team in the Giro: "I thought it was a good idea to sell myself"

During stage 20 of the recently concluded Giro d'Italia, Belgian cyclist from Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, Dries de Bondt, was seen pulling the duo Carapaz, Del Toro, after being caught coming from the day's breakaway. An action not too common. After confessing at the finish line that it was intentional to help the cyclist from EF Education-EasyPost, the UCI has set its legal machinery in motion for a violation of the Ethical Code that could result in a sanction for both the cyclist and EF Education-EasyPost.

Dries de Bondt helped Richard Carapaz in the Giro in search of a contract with EF Education-EasyPost

The immediacy with which information spreads and some not very fortunate statements could bring serious problems and a sanction from the UCI to the Belgian cyclist from Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, Dries de Bondt. At 33 years old, De Bondt's contract with the French team is ending and it doesn't seem like a renewal is an option.

In that self-promotion task, De Bondt did not hesitate, in the most decisive part of stage 20 of the Giro d'Italia, when he was caught in the middle of the ascent to Colle delle Finestre, to start working, as much as he could after coming from a hard-fought breakaway, for Richard Carapaz who, at that moment, was chasing a unleashed Simon Yates along with Isaac del Toro, the eventual winner of the Giro.

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De Bondt's mistake was that, after crossing the finish line and being asked about those minutes of work, he did not hesitate to admit that he was looking to promote himself and apparently had been negotiating a new contract with EF Education-EasyPost for several weeks, so this situation was perfect to gain points with what will surely be his new team.

Faced with such an obvious fact, the UCI has not hesitated to take action and is already investigating the situation for a violation of several articles of its Ethical Code by casting doubt on the integrity of the competition. Specifically, article 8.1 which specifies: "Any action that aims, or that can potentially, modify or influence the development or result of a competition, or any part of it, contrary to sports ethics, such as manipulation or corruption, is prohibited."

In any case, these types of actions are as old as cycling itself, with plenty of stories of team directors buying and selling stages through car windows or cyclists negotiating during a race. Just a few months ago, Enric Mas asked Joao Almeida to let him win the stage during the last stage of Itzulia, a moment captured by cameras attracting criticism to the Mallorcan cyclist.

Enric Mas: "¿Me dejas ganar?, ¿me dejas la etapa, o no?"#Itzulia2025 pic.twitter.com/iAVloj9WnD

— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) April 12, 2025

More notorious in the past were cases like the one that happened in the 1989 Vuelta a España when Colombian cyclist Fabio Parra launched a winning attack on the climb to Puerto de Navacerrada that turned the general classification led by Pedro Delgado upside down. When all seemed lost, the figure of Russian cyclist Ivan Ivanov emerged, who, with no sporting interest, started pulling the group and managed to reduce the gap, saving the race for the Segovian. At that time, nothing could be proven and everything remained in controversy and reproach against the Russian's action. This time, Dries de Bondt doesn't seem to be as lucky.