🎥 German runner-up raises middle finger to winner at Tour de l'Avenir: "He said I could win, but..."

It was a peculiar sight at the finish of the second stage of the Tour de l'Avenir (also known as the Tour of the Future): German Ole Theiler finished second and raised his middle finger to Italian Ludovico Crescioli, who beat the German in the sprint. To understand why, we must go back about five kilometers before the finish...

"I had intended to attack in the finale. When I attacked, I immediately had a gap," the 21-year-old runner-up explained to DirectVélo. "He (Crescioli, ed.) didn't want to take over. He said he couldn't pass."

According to Theiler, a compromise was made; Crescioli is unaware of any wrongdoing

Then, according to Theiler, a compromise was made. "I told him I wanted to win. To that, he agreed and said I would win. And in the end, he sprinted for the win anyway. I am unfortunate. It could have been my moment on this Tour de l'Avenir," concluded a very frustrated Theiler.

Then, the other side of the story. Indeed, 20-year-old Crescioli also reacted after the race at DirectVélo. "I saw the German rider going, and I wanted to follow him," the second stage winner opened his analysis. "In the final, I played it a bit tactically. Indeed, in the last two kilometers, we had enough lead on the peloton, and we could keep our lead through the turns. I was very confident that I would win. It was very nervous, and the turns suited me well," the Italian reflected. His account of the interaction with the German is slightly different. "We talked a little bit. I followed him; that was my strategy, and because of that, I won," Crescioli was unaware of any wrongdoing.