However, the UAE rider assured that he will continue to fight for his debut win, "Despite everything, it was a special day. I'll keep looking for it [victory]", he promised.
The post quickly generated a wave of support on social media. Among the comments on the post was that of his
UAE Team Emirates - XRG teammate, current world champion
Tadej Pogacar:
"I'm proud of you, brother. For me, it was a clear and well-deserved victory," wrote the man who is considered to be the best cyclist of our time.
Ivo Oliveira, Rui's twin brother,
had already spoken out on X (formerly Twitter), where he expressed his indignation: "If they decide that, from now on, they have to disqualify riders because of something like this, cycling is over! They can start disqualifying everyone, because every day and in every sprint, things like this happen, if not worse, and no one is ever sanctioned! Rui, for me you're the winner".