{"id":602848,"date":"2026-05-25T10:59:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T10:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/602848\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T10:59:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T10:59:09","slug":"expulsion-and-fine-for-sprinter-enrico-zanoncello-after-headbutt-in-giro-ditalia-stage-15-finale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/602848\/","title":{"rendered":"Expulsion and fine for sprinter Enrico Zanoncello after headbutt in Giro d\u2019Italia stage 15 finale"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bardian-CSF-7 Saber rider Enrico Zanoncello has been kicked out of the 2026 Giro d\u2019Italia<\/a> after headbutting rival sprinter Bob Donaldson (Jayco-AlUla<\/a>) in the closing metres of stage 15.<\/p>\n

The pair were shoulder-to-shoulder heading into the finale, with the sprinters foiled by a breakaway quartet a few seconds up the road. 24-year-old Donaldson came down in the incident as Uno-X Mobility\u2019s Frederik Dversnes took a surprise victory in Milan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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28-year-old Zanoncello was disqualified from the race by the jury after footage was reviewed. The officials stated that the exact infringement was a \u201cdeviation from the chosen line that endangers another rider (blow from the head).\u201d<\/p>\n

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Zanoncello was also given a 500CHF fine, docked 13 points in the points classification (he started the day with 14) and was given a yellow card.<\/p>\n

Under rules established by the UCI at the beginning of the 2025 season, riders who are awarded two yellow cards in a single race are disqualified and suspended from racing for seven days. However, Zanoncello\u2019s actions were deemed serious enough to warrant an immediate disqualification.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s rare for riders to be instantly disqualified from Grand Tours by the race jury. Recent examples include Tony Martin and Luke Rowe\u2019s expulsions from the 2019 Tour de France after a physical altercation. Gianni Moscon (now Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) was kicked out of the Tour a year earlier, also due to a physical misdemeanour.<\/p>\n

Zanoncello had been riding his third Giro d\u2019Italia and came in as the Bardiani-CSF-7 Saber\u2019s primary sprinter. He achieved top-10s in stages 3 and 6.<\/p>\n

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Donaldson, who recently signed a contract extension with Jayco-AlUla until the end of 2028, was left with a ripped skinsuit and road rash on his left side. He was the only rider to come down in the crash. \u201cI\u2019m fine, sort of,\u201d Donaldson reported on his Instagram story a few hours after the stage.<\/p>\n

A team representative confirmed to Cyclingnews on Monday morning that the Brit had come away with only minor injuries, saying: \u201cBob is good, fortunately only some skin bruises.\u201d<\/p>\n

Safety concerns had been raised about the finale of the stage, with race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) among others negotiating with race commissaires over a race neutralisation.<\/p>\n

A decision was made that the final five kilometres of the day would not count for the General Classification, but the sprint battle for the stage would go ahead.<\/p>\n

In the end, there were no major incidents on the road into Milan aside from the coming together between Zanoncello and Donaldson, as Dversnes took his first Grand Tour stage victory.<\/p>\n

Enrico Zanoncello has been disqualified from the Giro d\u2019Italia after this incident in the final sprint on Stage 15. pic.twitter.com\/MfZonN9cpWMay 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Who will challenge Jonas Vingegaard at this year’s Giro d’Italia? Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our coverage of the Corsa Rosa. Enjoy unrivalled reporting from our team of journalists on the ground, including breaking news, analysis, and more, from every stage as it happens, plus access to the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! <\/a>Find out more<\/a>.<\/p>\n