Mihkels and Thijssen fined time and money for Guangxi racist gesture

Almost four months on from the incident which left a dark cloud over Intermarché-Wanty pair Madis Mihkels and Gerben Thijssen, the UCI has closed the case on the racist gesture performed by the former at the Tour of Guangxi, whilst Intermarché-Wanty have completed their own disciplinary measures.

Initially withdrawn from the race after Thijssen had uploaded a photo to social media showing his teammate performing a ‘slanted eyes’ gesture whilst in China, the pair subsequently avoided a ban from racing but were instead imposed a fine by the UCI and instructed to attend an anti-racism educational course.

Read more: Mihkels and Thijssen escape bans after racist gestures at Tour of Guangxi

As of the end of last year, it was not yet known what steps Intermarché-Wanty would take to discipline the two riders, but it has come to light that the pair have been fined for both their time and money. As reported by Cyclingnews, the Belgian WorldTour team asked Mihkels and Thijssen to spend a day with the Ardent Group Cycling Academy and make a financial contribution to the running costs of the Intermarché-linked junior racing programme.

The pair have since made good on both instructions and will now continue their Intermarché-Wanty careers. Financial and time contributions to the Ardent Group Cycling Academy were seen as satisfactory, “in order to position themselves as an example for the youth,” a team spokesperson told Cyclingnews.

The team’s chief operating officer was keen to reiterate the team’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, with Maxime Segers pointing to the squad’s international roster of talent.

“With more than 15 nationalities from different continents in our staff and riders, our team insist on the diversity and wants to include all communities," he said.

At the time of the incident in October, Intermarché initially only withdrew Mihkels from the Tour of Guangxi, but were quick to include Thijssen once public sentiment became clear. The team also offered a sincere apology to the Chinese fans, racers and organisers.

Read more: Mihkels and Thijssen pulled from Tour of Guangxi over racist photo

With the UCI’s verdict coming down a month later, neither the extent of the fine nor details of the education course in question were revealed, but cycling’s governing body has since confirmed to Cyclingnews that both Mihkels and Thijssen have complied with the requests.

“Both riders cooperated fully by each organising and completing an anti-discrimination course and paying the respective fine. The UCI has received relevant documentation related to the completion of the anti-discrimination course and has therefore been able to close the cases,” said a UCI representative.

The case is now closed for the UCI and Intermarché-Wanty.

Mihkels, soon to turn 21 years of age, made his season debut in the recent races in Australia and Thijssen won Trofeo Palma as part of the Challenge Mallorca series last week. The 25-year-old is set to ride the Giro d’Italia in May.