Team Ineos rider Gianni Moscon was disqualified from the Belgian semi-classic Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne today after he was caught on camera throwing a bike at another rider following a crash.

The rider on the receiving end was a member of the B&B Hotels-Vital Concept team who had also been caught up in the crash with around 65 kilometres of the race, won by Kasper Asgreen of Deceuninck-Quick Step, remaining.

The Italian made his feelings clear about his disqualification from the race when it was communicated to him.

After seeming to check that the TV camera was focused on him, he ripped off one of his race numbers and threw it to the ground, before taking off the other one and, theatrically, ripping it in two.

The career of the 25-year-old, fourth in the road race at last September’s world championships in Yorkshire, is littered with instances of aggression and ill-discipline.

In 2018, the UCI banned him for five weeks after he hit Fortuneo-Samsic rider Elie Gesbert during Stage 15 of that year’s Tour de France.

> Gianni Moscon banned for five weeks for hitting out at rider during Tour de France

Sir Dave Brailsford, principal of Team Sky as it then was, said at the time: ““We have a duty of care to all our riders which we take extremely seriously.

“Gianni is still a relatively young rider at the start of his career and we will continue to give him the help and support he needs to learn, develop and move forward from this.”

However, the previous year, Moscon received a formal warning from Team Sky, which also suspended from racing for six weeks, after racially abusing the FDJ rider Kevin Reza.

Later that year, he was accused of deliberately causing Reza’s team mate, Sebastien Reichenbach, to crash with the Swiss rider breaking his elbow and hip.

Moscon was absolved of guilt in that case, but 2017 also saw him disqualified from the world championship road race for taking a tow from his team car.