Richie Porte has received a two-minute time penalty at the Giro d'Italia following his late puncture on stage 10.
Porte suffered a flat tyre inside the last 10km of Monday's stage into Forlì and received a spare wheel from Orica-GreenEdge rider Simon Clarke. Unbeknownst to the riders, the move contravened a UCI ruling for 'non-regulation assistance to a rider of another team'. Both received a time penalty after the stage, and a fine of 200 Swiss Francs.
The decision means Porte has dropped to 12th place in the general classification, three minutes and nine seconds behind race leader Alberto Contador.
Commenting on the time penalty, Team Principal Dave Brailsford said: "It is obviously disappointing that a sporting gesture made in the heat of the moment has resulted in such a strong penalty. No one was trying to gain an unfair advantage.
"This has however just strengthened our resolve and determination to fight for this race. Richie and the whole team are ready to take it on and there is a lot of this Giro left."
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