Ultracycling

Winner of the Race around The Netherlands was DQed because his girlfriend travelled with him during the race. He was not aware this was not allowed.

I would like to confirm this myself: I have received a time penalty for cycling togheter for a long time with another participant, and got DQed for receiving support from my girlfriend who travelled through the country, supporting me at multiple points along the route.
As a newcomer to the sport, I relied on the RatN manual and was not aware of any violations during the race. The manual specifically mentions “side-by-side” riding and states that friends and family are welcome to support. I have not accepted any material support.
Apart from that, I am now familiar with the spirit of the sport, which actually stands above the manual. This means that you should actually avoid contact as much as possible to limit moral support. I understand this now and I am now at peace with it.
I still have a hard time with it because they were easily preventable mistakes, and it's painful to think about, so I'm trying to put it behind me.
I would like to congratulate everyone on the higher ranking.