Disqualified Zanoncello distances himself from responsibility after Giro headbutt. Does he have a point?

Milan became the scene of a truly dramatic cycling finale on Sunday. The breakaway somehow managed to stay ahead of the peloton, but that was not the only thing that shook up the race. Enrico Zanoncello (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber) was disqualified after a headbutt in the full sprint. The day after the incident, he is refusing to accept responsibility, and he may have a point.

His disqualification caused some surprise when it was announced. When the footage emerged, it seemed clear: the Italian gave Robert Donaldson (Jayco AlUla) a heavy shove and also used his head in the process. The Briton crashed hard, and the jury stepped in: the sprinter was taken out of the race and will not start on Tuesday.

It was a major blow for Bardiani, for whom Zanoncello was the designated sprinter. After a night of radio silence, he has now responded to the incident on Instagram. "I am truly sorry for the boy involved in the crash," he begins his message. "I never wanted it to end like that."

According to the Italian, however, he was not the man who caused the crash. If you look at the images, that is initially hard to believe. "It was a very chaotic stage: I was bumped from the left, lost control of the bike, and at that point I no longer had room to avoid contact. The movement of my head was also a result of trying to regain control".

If you watch the footage on a phone screen, Zanoncello appears to be the culprit. But on the wider television shot, it becomes clear what he means: he is passed on the left by Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ), who then clips him. It sets off a chain reaction, which causes Zanoncello to hit Donaldson. The Briton cannot avoid the accident.