OUDENAARDE, Belgium – Swiss Michael Schaer was disqualified from the Tour of Flanders for littering outside designated areas, organisers said on Sunday.
The AG2R-Citroen rider was told to leave the race by stewards 107 kilometres from the finish after he disposed of a bottle where not permitted.
The sanction comes three days after the new International Cycling Union’s rule came into force.
The Tour of Flanders is the second of five Monuments, the major one-day races of the elite calendar.
(Writing by Julien Pretot; Editing by Christian Radnedge)