Lemko Evenpoel said that the UCI has launched an investigation into what David Bramati, sport director of Dečuninck-Quick Step, took out of Evenpoel's back pocket after his late-season crash in Lombardia (open in new tab) two weeks ago. In response to the news that he was "crying in my father's arms," he said.

Video footage of the incident shows Bramati reaching into the back pocket of Evenpoel's jersey and pulling out what appears to be a small white bottle. Team boss Patrick Lefebvre later explained that it was the "finishing bottle."

Serge Pauwels of the CCC team appeared on Flanders TV station Eén's Tour de France program "Vive le Vélo" on Saturday and said the incident turned into a "storm in a teacup," according to Het Nieuwsblad.

"If you put someone on a stretcher, it's only natural that their pockets will empty," Pauwels said of the accident in which 20-year-old Even Paul suffered a fractured pelvis.

"Serge Pauwels, thank you so much for explaining the situation I was in," Evenpoele wrote on Twitter on Saturday evening. 'I'm going to be honest. I cried in my father's arms in my hospital bed this morning. That's how shitty I felt. I was fighting for my life at that moment. The team did their best for me."

Although Lefebvre and the team claim that what was removed from Evenpoel's pocket was a drink bottle, the UCI is investigating whether it could have been some kind of data device to illegally transmit strategically important power data to the team car in order to gain a sporting advantage. The UCI is investigating whether.

On Friday, UCI President David Lapartient questioned a statement made by Bramati immediately after the crash. In it, Bramati stated that he knew in advance that Evenpoel had crashed because "the data had stopped."

"Directeur Sportif said they thought that Evenpoel had crashed because the data stopped transmitting," Lapartiento said. 'After all, it is forbidden to transmit certain data. So we're keeping an eye on that as well. If it's only about geographic location, that's one thing, but we are not allowed to share other data."

A subsequent Deceuninck-QuickStep statement reads: "As has already been publicly stated, what was removed from Remco's pocket was a nutritional supplement in a As has already been publicly stated, what was removed from Lemko's pockets was a small bottle of nutritional supplements, which was removed by medical staff to ease Lemko onto a stretcher.

A statement from the UCI to Cycling News on Saturday said: "Based on images circulating on the Internet, the CADF has spoken with team representatives. The investigation is ongoing and the UCI will not comment further at this stage."