A controversial story has enveloped the Deceuninck-Quick Step team following an incident in which Iljo Keisse feigned a sex act behind a waitress while posing for a photo.
Vuelta a San Juan organisers have since kicked him out of the race, leading to the manager of the team, Patrick Lefevere, threatening to pull the entire team out.
“If it were up to me, the whole team would leave the Vuelta a San Juan,” Patrick Lefevere told Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws.
“We are reviewing what the UCI regulations say, and then we will quickly decide whether we will start or not.”
The Belgian team decided to skip Wednesday’s podium presentation in protest at his disqualification, despite their position in the race lead with Julian Alaphilippe.
Deceuninck–Quick Step spokesperson Alessandro Tegner said: “This is not a protest. Our riders felt a bit tired and not so good after the stress and the efforts of the past few days, so we decided not to let them go to the podium ceremony.”
Keisse’s own father then waded in on the debate, suggesting the waitress was to blame.
“That woman is also very suggestive with her ass behind,” he said. “Who says that Iljo should not file a complaint against her? It should not have happened, but he apologised and will have to bear the consequences. Now we must wait until the storm blows over.”
