Giulio Ciccone puts validity of photo finish into question - 'I want to see the photo finish on the real finish line'

Giulio Ciccone has questioned the validity of the photo finish image that awarded European Championships to Remco Evenepoel, saying he wants to see the "photo finish on the real finish line".   

Ciccone finished second at the Men's Elite Road Race at the European Championships, losing out by just a few millimetres to Evenepoel.

A day after the race, Ciccone has posted a long message on Instagram questioning the validity of the photo finish image: "I've looked at the available images hundreds of times and, in the filming where the finish line is visible, I keep seeing a dynamic that I cannot reconcile with that verdict," wrote Ciccone.

The European title was awarded to Evenepoel, who perfectly timed his bike throw to win by 0.0028 seconds. smaller than the gap measured in the 2021 Amstel Gold Race photo finish, that sparked huge debate about if Tom Pidcock had finished second to Wout Van Aert.   

Ciccone pointed out the proximity between the pair on the line and wanted to see the photo from the finish line to see if the two are the same.

"If a European title is decided by 2.8 milliseconds of a second, I think it’s legitimate to ask that that very passage can be shown with the same precision with which the result was determined.

"I'm not asking that a television shot will replace photo finish. I'm not questioning the value of Remco nor the amazing race he ran. I am asking a very simple question: see the photo finish on the real finish line."

On Monday morning, Ciccone sat down with the federal technicians, who explained to him how a photo finish in cycling works and explained the criteria in which the photo finish was interpreted.

Race officials use specialised imagery and software to overlay a vertical line at the front-wheel edge of the leading rider. However for technical seasons this may not be exactly on the finish line.  

The Italian calls for a precise finish line photo. 

"Until that correspondence is shown to me, for me it remains a question to which I have not yet received an answer," stated Ciccone.

Ciccone did not discredit Remco Evenepoel, who was simply a level above the competition: "Remco was the strongest runner yesterday. He ran as a Champion; he could interpret and manage a complex race and offered an extraordinary performance."