Vuelta a España 2015: Vincenzo Nibali ejected after being towed

Italian rider Vincenzo Nibali was disqualified from the Vuelta a España for being towed by Team Astana’s car on Sunday. Nibali, a three-time Grand Tour winner, was thrown off after television images showed him being dragged back into the pack following a crash on the second stage of the race.

Nibali had joined a number of riders who crashed 30 kilometres from the finish line of the 158.7 kilometre ride from the Alhaurin de la Torre to Caminito del Rey. Nibali managed to make up the lost ground, but the Italian rider still lost over a minute on general classification rivals Nairo Quintana, Chris Froome, and Alejandro Velarde on the final category three climb to the finish.

However, TV images showed after the end of the stage that Astana’s team car pulled Nibali alongside while both accelerated rapidly into the pack. Judges decided Nibali was either towed by the car as he held it, or grabbed a water bottle extended from the window.

Astana sport director Stefano Zanini said the team had spoken with the judges, but the decision was clear to disqualify Nibali. Zanini admitted Astana had instead asked for a time sanction just to not disqualify the Italian rider. However, the judges decided that Nibali’s action creates an example for other riders.

"We have been informed by the decision of the technical judge. The act carried out by the rider is bad for cycling, for the rider, for the Vuelta and its image because we lose one of the favourites,” Vuelta director general Javier Guillen said, reports ABC.

Nibali had lost 88 seconds after being involved in the crash. The 30-year-old Nibali have been involved in a series of controversies due to failed doping tests in recent years, with his WorldTour license for this year nearly revoked by the UCI.

Meanwhile, Team Sky’s Froome, who is chasing a rare Tour-Vuelta double, lost four seconds to rival Nairo Quintana as Orica-GreenEDGE’s Esteban Chaves won the Tour’s first individual stage. The Columbian rider leads the overall race by five seconds after edging Giant-Alpecin’s Tom Dumoulin, while Sky’s Nicolas Roche finished third.

(Courtesy of BBC) Stage two result:

1. Esteban Chaves (Col/Orica) 3hrs 57mins 25secs

2. Tom Dumoulin (Ned/Giant) +01sec

3. Nicolas Roche (Ire/Team Sky) +09secs

4. Daniel Martin (Ire/Cannondale) +14secs

5. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa/Katusha) +26secs

6. Nairo Quintana (Col/Movistar) Same time

7. Chris Froome (GB/Team Sky) +30secs

8. Alejandro Valverde (Spa/Movistar) +31secs

9. Daniel Moreno (Spa/Katusha) Same time

10. Fabio Aru (Ita/Astana) +37secs

General classification after stage two: