Dries De Bondt faces no sanction after Giro ride for Carapaz sparked UCI ethics case

More than a year after one of the more unusual episodes of the 2025 Giro d’Italia triggered an ethics investigation, Dries De Bondt will face no punishment from the UCI.

The Belgian came under scrutiny following stage 20 of the Giro, when he worked on the front for Richard Carapaz despite riding for a rival team. The incident became significantly more controversial after De Bondt revealed that a conversation about his future had influenced his decision.

Speaking to WielerFlits after the Giro, De Bondt explained that he was uncertain about his future at Decathlon AG2R and had begun making himself available to other teams.

With his contract situation unresolved, he said he had approached several teams during the Giro. One of the people he contacted was Ken Vanmarcke, a sports director at EF Education-EasyPost, the team of Carapaz.

De Bondt told Vanmarcke that he was available for 2026.

“If you are still looking for riders for 2026, I’m on the market,” he recalled telling him.

What happened before stage 20 would eventually attract the attention of the UCI. According to De Bondt, Vanmarcke approached him again before the start and asked about his plans for the day.

“Are you planning something today?” De Bondt recalled Vanmarcke asking.

De Bondt said the EF director then suggested that if he got himself into the race and played a meaningful role in the Giro’s final outcome, “something serious could come from that.”

The Belgian was open about the effect the conversation had on him.

“That inspired me to do what I did for Carapaz,” he said.

The comments prompted the UCI to open a preliminary investigation. At the time, the governing body said they were “clearly of a nature to call into question the integrity of the competition” and referred the matter to its independent Ethics Commission. The UCI said potential sanctions against the rider and the sports director could be considered if their conduct was found to have breached its Ethics Code.

The UCI formally filed its report on June 30, 2025, with proceedings opening on July 29. Two licence holders were investigated, while the Ethics Commission reviewed the UCI report and written submissions from the team and several individuals involved.

At the UCI Congress on Wednesday, the governing body confirmed that the case had been closed. The alleged breaches were “not proven to the required standard of comfortable satisfaction” under article 30.2 of the Ethics Code, meaning no sanction would be imposed.

“Whilst competition integrity remains a cornerstone, standard of proof requires strong evidence of intent,” the UCI said in its summary of the case.

The ruling brings the proceedings to an end more than a year after they were opened. The Commission concluded that the evidence did not meet the standard required to establish a breach.