Wednesday 8 August 2018 14:02, UK
Team Sky's Gianni Moscon has been suspended for five weeks after throwing a punch at a fellow rider during the Tour de France.
The Italian was kicked out of the race following the incident on stage 15. Moscon was seen on television footage aiming a punch at Team Fortuneo Samsic rider Elie Gesbert.
The 24-year-old has accepted a five-week suspension from the UCI.
"I reacted in the heat of the moment", said Moscon. "It was never my intention to hit the rider. As the footage shows I didn't make contact, but I regret my actions and I have already apologised to both Elie Gesbert and Team Fortuneo Samsic for the incident."
Team Sky Team Principal, Sir Dave Brailsford, said: "We accept the UCI's decision to suspend Gianni for a five-week period.
"This incident obviously happened during one of the most challenging races the team has ever faced. We are confident that Gianni truly regrets his actions and has learnt from this episode.
"We have a duty of care to all our riders which we take extremely seriously. Gianni is still a relatively young rider at the start of his career and we will continue to give him the help and support he needs to learn, develop and move forward from this."
