Gianni Moscon disqualified from Vuelta a Burgos after ‘improper conduct’

Gianni Moscon has been disqualified from the Vuelta a Burgos following stage 3. The 32-year-old Italian from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe was found guilty of ‘improper conduct’ towards another rider, resulting in a yellow card and his removal from the race. It was not the first time Moscon had been disqualified during his career, although controversy surrounding his behaviour in the peloton had been relatively quiet for quite some time.

Moscon developed a questionable reputation during his younger years in the professional peloton following several incidents for which he was repeatedly punished. The first major controversy dates back to 2017, when Moscon racially abused French rider Kévin Reza during the Tour de Romandie. His team at the time, Team Sky, subsequently suspended him for six weeks.

The team also gave Moscon an official written warning and required him to attend a diversity awareness course. The UCI ultimately decided not to impose any additional punishment. Later that same year, Moscon was again at the centre of controversy during and after the road race at the World Championships in Bergen.

The Italian was caught up in a crash before returning to the race unusually quickly with assistance from the Italian team car. Video footage showed Moscon holding onto the vehicle for an extended period. Although he initially finished 29th and had still played a role for Italy in the finale, he was later removed from the results for the illegal assistance.

A year later, in 2018, Moscon was involved in another incident during the Tour de France. On stage 15, he made a striking motion towards French rider Élie Gesbert, after which the race jury decided to expel him from the Tour. That was not the end of the matter either: the UCI disciplinary commission subsequently handed Moscon a five-week suspension, running from August 8 until September 12, 2018.

Moscon accepted responsibility for the incident, but even after that he continued to test the limits with his behaviour. During Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in 2020, he ended up in a ditch following a crash. In frustration, the Italian picked up another rider’s bike and threw it in the direction of its owner.

A few kilometres later, the race jury announced that Moscon had been disqualified for aggressive and unsportsmanlike conduct. On paper, that was the last major disciplinary incident involving the Italian, who showed a very different and much calmer side during his subsequent spells with Astana, Soudal Quick-Step and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. Exactly what Moscon did to earn his latest disqualification at the Vuelta a Burgos remains unclear for now.