‘We regret the incident and accept blame’ – Visma-Lease a Bike apologise for E3 sticky bottle as team boss Plugge also penalised

Visma-Lease a Bike have offered an apology after Axel Zingle was disqualified from the E3 Saxo Classic for taking a long tow or sticky bottle from a team car on Friday.

Zingle suffered a flat tyre during the race and whilst chasing back on was towed back, at speed and at length, by the Visma car. Though not caught on the race broadcast, a roadside fan took a damning video of the incident, which ultimately led to the Frenchman’s punishment.