Women’s Cycling Team Suspended for Disguising One of Its Mechanics as a Rider to Meet Requirement

Jasper Jacobs/AP

A U.S. women’s cycling team has been suspended after it was discovered the team disguised a mechanic as a rider to meet a competition requirement, CNN reported Tuesday.

At last July’s Argenta Classic in Belgium, teams were required to have at least five riders. Cynisca Cycling, however, arrived with just four. In a statement, the International Cycling Union (UCI), said team Sports Director Danny Van Haute told the four riders to lie to race organizers about the whereabouts of their fifth rider. Then, Van Haute told team mechanic Moira Barrett to put on cycling gear and a face mask and sign the start sheet as Cynisca’s fifth rider.

Per UCI regulations, the incident is considered an act of fraud.

The four riders — Anna Hicks, Cara O’Neil, Katherine Sarkisov, and Claire Windsor — were reprimanded for their roles in the fraud. Barrett was suspended from “any activity in cycling” until Sept. 1.

Van Haute, who the UCI found to be the “main perpetrator,” has been suspended until Dec. 31, 2025.

The team as a whole was also punished. The UCI announced that in addition to a fine, Cynisca would not compete in the next event on the UCI International Calendar.

Cynisca called the incident a “one-time mistake by a rogue director” in a statement to CNN.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!