Intermarché-Circus-Wanty withdrew young rider Madis Mihkels and his teammate Gerben Thijssen from the Gree-Tour Of Guangxi2023 after an Estonian rider made a racist gesture towards the Asian people on social media.

The original post was in Thijssen's Instagram story, but the Belgian rider has since removed his profile from the app.

The initial statement confirmed the withdrawal of Mihkels, but subsequent updates announced that Thijssen had also been withdrawn from the final WorldTour race of the season.

"We sincerely regret the actions of riders Madis Mihkels and Gerben Thijssen and the images displayed on social media," Intermarché-Circus-Wanty said in a press release.

"We would like to apologize to the Chinese people and fans, the Guangxi Government, the China Cycling Association, and all parties involved in organizing the Guangxi tour, for our sporting image.

The team then announced its decision to exclude riders from the race.

"Forever, our team Intermarché-Circus-Wanty, composed of more than 15 nationalities of our project, and our partners, always firmly defend equal opportunities and daily racism

"We will withdraw Madis Mihkels and Gerben Thijssen from the race and work to close this case." We will take the necessary disciplinary action."

On Wednesday afternoon, the uci announced that the case was referred to the Disciplinary Committee, citing Article 12.4.004 of the uci Rules on Discrimination.

"Any person or entity that insults, discriminates against, or defames any person or entity covered in this part by words or deeds in a manner that infringes human dignity on the grounds of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, political belief, language, ethnic or national origin, or social conditions shall be subject to disciplinary action," the Rules read.

The UCI praised Intermarché-Circus-Wanty for the team's quick response to social media posts and noted that they apologized for their actions during a meeting with local authorities.

"UCI has withdrawn from the Gree-Tour in Guangxi and decided to assess any disciplinary action it may take following the incident, the team of two riders, Intermarché-Circus-Wanty's quick Reaction Event organizers also acted quickly by organizing meetings with officials and local authorities, during which the riders expressed an apology," the UCI issued.

"The UCI has decided to refer the matter to the uci Disciplinary Committee for possible violations of Article 12.4.004 of the uci Rules...UCI clearly condemns all forms of racist and discriminatory behaviour and is committed to ensuring integrity, diversity, inclusion and equality in cycling through the UCI Constitution, the UCI Rules and its programs."

Uci regulations do not prohibit certain punishments for racist behavior, although disciplinary measures available to the Disciplinary Committee are a range of warnings, Educational measures and fines to strict measures such as suspension from involvement in cycling and withdrawal of licenses.

In 2021, the coach of the German team at the Olympic Games was reprimanded for making racist comments about the Algerian cyclist Azdin Lagab, in 2017, Team Sky accused Gianforte of racially abusing Kevin Reza during the Tour de Romandie. It preempted the UCI by giving Nni Moscon a 6・week ban.

The Guangxi tour, starting on Thursday from the North Sea, is the last men's World Tour race of the 2023 season.