Moscon doesn't appear to be a friendly character.
Sébastien Reichenbach (FDJ) has filed formal complaints against Gianni Moscon (Team Sky) with Italian police and the UCI, claiming that the Italian deliberately caused him to crash during Tuesday’s Tre Valli Varesine.
Reichenbach suffered a fractured elbow in the incident and will require season-ending surgery.
“I’m filing a complaint against Gianni Moscon because he intentionally put me on the ground,” Reichenbach told Le Nouvelliste on Wednesday morning.
“It was intentional. Several riders saw the action and are ready to provide testimony on my behalf. He deliberately threw himself against me. On a descent, the accident could have had even more serious consequences. My team, FDJ, has encouraged me to file a complaint. They will support me.”
Reichenbach’s FDJ team alluded to the incident in its report of the Tre Valli Varesine on the team website, but while Moscon said that he saw the crash, he denied that he had played any part in Reichenbach’s fall.
“It’s not true. It’s nothing to do with me. We were on a section of rough road and Reichenbach’s hands slipped from his handlebars. I’ve never spoken to him in my life,” Moscon told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Reichenbach maintains that Moscon deliberately caused the crash as retribution for his part in highlighting how the Sky rider had racially abused FDJ’s Kevin Reza during the Tour de Romandie in April.
Reichenbach drew attention to the incident with a Tweet and, although Team Sky opted not to withdraw Moscon from the Tour de Romandie, he was eventually withdrawn from racing by his team for a period of six weeks.
“It’s a question of settling scores after the business with the Tweet during the Tour de Romandie. That’s what sealed his internal suspension. But I hadn’t even mentioned his name,” Reichenbach said.
