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Ciccone questions photo finish at European championships after narrow loss to Evenepoel

Giulio Ciccone finished second at the European Championships
Giulio Ciccone finished second at the European ChampionshipsJennifer Lorenzini / Reuters

Italian cyclist Giulio Ciccone has challenged the photo-finish verdict in ⁠which he lost the European Championships road race to Remco Evenepoel in Slovenia on ‌Sunday.

Ciccone overtook Evenepoel with a few hundred metres remaining ‌and looked set for victory before he ‌was reeled in by the Belgian, with the ‌pair wheel-to-wheel as they crossed the finish line.

"The ‌title was decided by a margin of 0.0028 seconds, which is 2.8 thousandths of a second," ‌Ciccone wrote on social media.

"I've watched ⁠the available footage ‌hundreds of times and, in the shots where the ​finish line is visible, I keep seeing something I can't square with that ​verdict."

Ciccone, 31, said the criteria used to interpret photo finishes had been explained to him ⁠by officials and ​his federation's technical staff.

"I'm not asking for another explanation," he added.

"I'm asking to see the photo finish that matches the actual finish line exactly. ‌I'd like to see, clearly and beyond doubt, our two wheels crossing at the exact point where the regulations say the finish is determined."

Lidl-Trek rider Ciccone also said Evenepoel had raced "like a champion".

"My respect for him is enormous and has never been in question."

In response, the European Cycling Union (UEC), which organises the ‌European Road Cycling Championships, said the photo-finish was ​not a traditional photograph.

"The final image is ‌composed of the chronological sequence of recordings taken at the finish line," it added.

"This can create apparent distortions of wheels, bicycles and riders, without affecting the accuracy of ⁠the result in any ⁠way."

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