"Unfair to judge what happened based only on a short clip" - Zanoncello disappointed after Giro headbutt disqualification

Enrico Zanoncello has claimed that the decision to disqualify him from the Giro d'Italia was 'unfair' based on a piece of footage. The Bardiani CSF 7 Saber sprinter was expelled after he was deemed to headbutt another rider, leading to a high-speed crash on Sunday's stage 15.

Commissaires decided to expel the Italian from the race for the move that saw a crash among the peloton as they competed for minor places in Milan. Footage showed Zanoncello appear to make contact with Robert Donaldson in a move across the bunch. Donaldson then crashed heavily.

Zanoncello was soon given a 1,000 Swiss franc fine, a yellow card and immediate disqualification from the Corsa Rosa. However, the 28-year-old has responded to the disqualification, admitting that the crash was unintentional.

“I sincerely feel sorry for the guy involved in the fall,” he wrote on Instagram. “I never wanted it to end this way.”

In the statement, Zanoncello appeared to suggest that the punishment was 'unfair' due to the nature of the footage: “There was never any intention to harm or endanger anyone. I’m really sorry about what happened. I think it is unfair to judge what happened based only on a short clip,” Zanoncello wrote.

On reflection, Zanoncello believes that the incident could be seen in a different light in hindsight: “Seeing the full pictures, the dynamics seem different and clearer.”

Zanoncello has been with Bardiani CSF 7 Saber since 2021, and has four professional victories. The most notable of those came in the 2024 Giro d'Abruzzo and 2023 Tour de Taiwan.

Competing in his third Giro, Zanoncello leaves the race in disappointment. He took home a ninth place finish in Naples back in stage nine and admitted that it 'hurts' to leave the race in that fashion: “Leaving the Giro d’Italia this way hurts,” he added. “It’s definitely not how I wanted it to end.”