Aidar Zakarin’s bid for a second podium at the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships ended in disqualification on Sunday, after the former Russian professional cyclist was ruled to have used a non-compliant and dangerous riding position during the 140-kilometre Gran Fondo road race. Zakarin, who finished third in Thursday’s individual time trial, was disqualified under UCI Regulation 7.9.
Zakarin, racing in the men’s 19-34 age category, was fined CHF 200 and removed from the results.
The 29-year-old, who now rides for Cyprus-based Tribe Cycling Club, is the younger brother of former Tour de France stage winner Ilnur Zakarin. He arrived in Niseko in strong form, having placed third in Thursday’s individual time trial in his category, finishing 18.58 seconds behind winner Glenn Van Nierop of the Netherlands. Zakarin also came into the week off the back of several 2026 Gran Fondo World Series victories, including a solo win at Novi Sad in June.
Regulation 7.9 covers riding positions considered dangerous to the rider or fellow competitors, including resting on the top tube or adopting a low position over the handlebars, sometimes known as the “puppy dog” position. Such riding positions have come under increased scrutiny in mass-participation racing in recent seasons.
Zakarin was not the only rider penalised on Sunday. Four men’s 19-34 category competitors — Eduard Pocha Serhano (ESP), Patryk Gieracki (POL), Kacper Kistowski (POL) and Chao Lin Shi (CHN) — were each fined CHF 50 under Regulation 8.1 for failing to respect instructions from the organiser or commissaires. All four retained their finishing results.
Organisers also confirmed that 155 bikes were inspected during pre-race technical checks on Sunday and passed UCI controls.
Photo Credit: Agius Mnason Cycling Club
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