Cycling's world governing body said on Friday that Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport women's team manager Marc Bracke had violated its code of ethics after an inquiry into allegations of harassment and it had therefore begun disciplinary proceedings.
Bracke, who has denied any wrongdoing, was not immediately available for comment, while Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport declined to comment on the UCI Ethics Commission's conclusion, which was published in a statement on the UCI website.
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) opened an investigation in March after the allegations by American Sara Youmans and Canadian Maggie Coles-Lyster of the women's second division team were reported by Le Monde.
The French newspaper said that Youmans alleged that Bracke acted inappropriately during a contract negotiation in 2019.
The UCI said that its ethics committee had concluded that violations of the UCI Code of Ethics had been committed.
"In view of the sanctions recommended by the UCI Ethics Commission, the case was referred on 24 September 2020 to the UCI Disciplinary Commission, which initiated disciplinary proceedings," the UCI said in a statement.
The UCI said it, the Disciplinary Commission and the Ethics Commission would not make any further comments as the process was ongoing.
(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Alexander Smith)
