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The UCI will trial yellow cards to make professional cycling a “safer sport”.<\/b><\/p>\n
David Lappartient, president of the sport’s governing body, said the cards will be issued “for any offence likely to pose a risk” to safety on a trial basis, from 1 August until 31 December in men’s and women’s professional road races.<\/p>\n
No sanctions will be issued in the trial period but punishments, ranging from fines to disqualifications and suspensions, will be imposed on riders from 1 January 2025.<\/p>\n
Two yellow cards in a one-day or stage race will result in a seven-day ban.<\/p>\n
The yellow card trial is part of a package of measures under a the UCI’s SafeR programme, which aims to improve rider safety after some high-profile crashes this season.<\/p>\n
Denmark’s two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard suffered a collapsed lung<\/a> and Australia cyclist Jay Vine sustained spinal injuries<\/a> in a high-speed crash during the Itzulia Basque Country race in April.<\/p>\n Race leader Primoz Roglic and fellow Grand Tour winner Remco Evenepoel also abandoned the same race after going down in the crash.<\/p>\n “The safety of riders is a priority for the UCI, and it was with this in mind that we created SafeR, a structure dedicated to safety, bringing together the main stakeholders in professional road cycling,” Lappartient said.<\/p>\n “I am convinced that the measures announced will enable us to make progress towards a safer sport.”<\/p>\n In addition to yellow cards, the UCI also wants to test restrictions on wearing and using earpieces in races, which it says “could be both a source of distraction for riders and a physical hazard”.<\/p>\n Modifications of the so-called ‘three-kilometre’ sprint zone rule and a simplification in calculating time gaps in stages with a bunch sprint finish are also to be looked at.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n