"We want to set an example" - UCI to investigate Tour of Flanders crash and Team DSM road-block tactics

Cycling's governing body, the UCI have revealed they are to investigate a pair of instances from last Sunday's drama-filled Tour of Flanders. Both Filip Maciejuk's crash and Team DSM's road-blocking tactics have drawn the eye of officials.

“We want to set an example,” UCI coordinator Peter Van Den Abeele told Sporza of Maciejuk's crash. “His manoeuvre was absolutely wrong. You can never jeopardise the safety of your fellow riders. Further measures could definitely follow. He will appear before the disciplinary committee. A possible suspension and/or additional fine is then not excluded. We can’t let this pass.” To his credit, Maciejuk immediately took to social media to apologise for his involvement in the crash that saw him disqualified from the race.

Team DSM's tactics, which were described in the Flemish press as a ‘Catenaccio’ style have also given the UCI cause for concern. The likes of Mathieu van der Poel and Eddy Merckx have been critical of the road-block technique that saw John Degenkolb and four of his teammates create a barrier on the front of the peloton and reduce the pace to a crawl.

"We will analyse that tactic in more detail. Everyone must be able to defend their chances, but this strategy is very far-reaching," says Van Den Abeele.