“Cycling is over!” – Ivo Oliveira scolds UCI after brother's Tour of Slovenia controversy

What should have been a career defining moment for Rui Oliveira turned into one of the most contentious decisions of the season, as the Portuguese rider was stripped of his Stage 2 victory at the 2025 Tour of Slovenia after a post-race jury review deemed his sprint irregular.

Oliveira, riding for UAE Team Emirates - XRG, had powered to the line ahead of Fabio Christen in what looked to be his first professional win. But following a protest by Christen and an extended jury analysis, Oliveira was disqualified for deviating from his line in the final metres, despite the move being minor to most people’s view.

The verdict handed the stage victory and the race lead to Christen, while Oliveira was relegated to sixth place.

The decision has sparked strong reactions across the cycling world, none louder than from Rui's brother and fellow pro cyclist, Ivo Oliveira, who took to social media to vent his frustration.

“If you decide that from now on you have to disqualify riders for something like this, cycling is over!” thundered Ivo Oliveira on X. “You can start demoting everyone because every day and in every sprint things like this happen, if not worse, and no one ever gets sanctioned! Rui, for me you are the winner.”