Warnings

World Cycling Union introduces yellow cards

The Cycling World Federation has decided to introduce yellow cards for professional men's and women's races. 

In future, race stewards will be able to issue warnings for any offense committed by riders, sports directors or other persons involved in the race that poses a risk to the safety of the competition. This was decided by the UCI at its meeting in Aigle on Wednesday to improve safety in road races.

Test until the end of the year
The yellow card system will not result in any sanctions during the test period from August 1 to the end of the year. From January 1, 2025, people who receive two yellow cards in the same race will be disqualified and banned for seven days. Three yellow cards within 30 days will result in a 14-day ban. Anyone who accumulates six yellow cards in a year will be suspended for 30 days. The UCI points out that race exclusions are already possible for serious offenses. This will continue to apply.

The wearing of headphones is also to be restricted in individual races this year. This is a source of distraction and also poses a risk if several teams ask their drivers to drive to the front of the race at the same time. At the end of the year, a decision will be made as to whether only two riders per team will be allowed to have radio contact with their teams. It will also be tested whether to extend the three-kilometer rule to up to five kilometers. In the event of crashes on the last three kilometers of flat stages, the riders affected will be classified with the same time as the group at the time of the incident.