Tour director in favor

Cycling revolution: Will the red card be introduced?

(Bild: ETIENNE GARNIER LEQUIPE)

In the debate about more safety in cycling, Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme has welcomed the proposal to introduce yellow and red cards. "The system of yellow and red cards is here and the cycling world is ready for it," the Frenchman told the Belgian newspaper "Het Nieuwsblad" after the serious crashes of top stars in recent weeks.

"New talents who are just starting out in cycling are getting younger and younger, but they lack the years of experience in the peloton and the habit of respecting the rules," Prudhomme continued.

50 percent rider guilt
The UCI also reserves the right to introduce a system of yellow and red cards. "50 percent of crashes are due to the behavior of the riders," UCI President David Lappartient told the portal "Cyclingnews". "I don't want to say that they are all to blame. It can also be just a brief moment of inattention. That's why we want to introduce a principle of yellow and red cards, just like in soccer, so that dangerous behavior is better punished."

The Tour of the Basque Country, which finished on Saturday, had been overshadowed two days earlier by a serious crash involving the favorites. Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and the Australian Jay Vine, among others, suffered serious injuries in the mass crash. More than a week ago, Belgian star Wout van Aert was seriously injured in the Tour of Flanders.