Transcontinental Race: third-place finisher Anatole Naimi removed from general classification

The results table of the 3500km Transcontinental Race has been shrouded in controversy after third-place finisher Anatole Naimi was removed from the general classification (GC) at the finish line on August 2.

In a statement, Lost Dot, the organisers of the race, said: "Anatole Naimi (232) rode strongly in TCRNo9, but due to extended periods of time not riding alone has been awarded a finish outside of General Classification."

The final step on the podium, therefore, fell to Tim de Witte, fourth-place finisher and winner of the Green Leaderboard.

After receiving a barrage of criticism online, Lost Dot released a further statement from Race Director Andrew Phillips:

"So, this morning our third-place rider on the road Anatole Naimi, rolled into Thessaloniki. But, unfortunately, due to him spending a significant amount of time on the road, riding with another rider in the Alps, we’ve had to take the difficult decision to remove him from the general classification.

"It’s a really difficult thing to do, and probably the hardest part of the whole job. But the problem is, when you ride with someone else, you’re no longer on a level playing field with the rest of your competitors out on the road. So it doesn’t really leave us with a choice.

"Now, it’s important to say that he’s not being disqualified, he’s being removed from the General Classification, which is different. Anatole still has a race finish. It’s an incredible achievement. We don’t want to take that away from him. I hope he’s really proud of it, but the general classification is so sought after precisely because it's so hard to attain. And we at Lost Dot work really hard to make sure we uphold the rules and the spirit of the race fairly, across the whole field, regardless of the rider.

"Now, I race myself and I know how important it is when you’re a competitive person to get that finish that you’ve worked really hard for. And I really feel for Anatole. But, unfortunately we have to take the right decision, not the popular decision. I spoke at registration about the importance of having that level playing field. Because without it we don’t have a race. And the rule is that you have to ride your race solo. Riding alone, out on the course, is something that all riders have to do. I really don’t doubt that Anatole had no intention at all of gaining any advantage. But riding with a friend is an advantage.

"So the reason we weren’t able to communicate this any earlier is that we’ve got over 300 riders out on the road. And we have a whole process of gathering evidence and information on what’s going on, whether there are any possible rule infringements. Normally, we would take these kinds of decisions on the finish line. But we decided that we needed to do this on the finish line, because we didn’t want to deprive fourth-place rider, Time de Witte, of his spot on the podium. And, we could have waited a couple of months, until after the race, when emotions were less raw, and everyone had had a bit of time to decompress. And that, arguably, would have been the easier thing to do. But I don't think it would have been the right thing to do. So I hope that Anatole will reflect that he enjoyed his race when he’s had time to rest. I hope that he’s learnt a lot from the race and I really would like to see him back for a third edition."

The statement has yielded a range of responses, the majority of which are negative. Numerous commenters called for evidence of the rule infringement, and others suggested that while drafting was clearly not okay, simply riding alongside another rider was harmless.

For many, the ruling seems inconsistent with last year's decision to allow two riders who shared a €1 drink on the course to remain in the overall standings.

Sebastian Sarx, the rider accused of riding with Anatole Naimi, said the following in an Instagram story:

"Just a few words first. I still want to get a clear picture of everything. I am, of course, disappointed and frustrated by the way things have been done. The first thing before we try to understand the facts in detail. What hits me the most, and regardless of whether we made a mistake or not, is that we only found out at the finish that we were out of the GC. We didn't get a chance to correct ourselves or even see what the decision was based on. At Cp1, I was told not to ride with others for too long OTHERWISE I get out of the GC. That means the facts were known and a decision could have been made or negotiated there. From then on I paid extremely close attention. Anyway, think that if something is reported that leads to exclusion from the GC, a quick decision or negotiation is required and therefore the participants must be informed quickly.

"However, the decision was only announced at the finish line after more than 7 days without proof of presentation or the possibility of commenting. Maybe you can understand how it feels after almost 10 days of racing (my biggest important race) to be taken out of the GC at the finish without any possibility of comment. In which system does this work? I still think we didn't gain an advantage. but I would like to take a closer look at the facts of the matter, which is not possible for me at the moment."