The UCI backtracked on a call to punish six riders with a 20-second time penalty for driving briefly on a sidewalk throughout stage 6 of Tirreno-Adriatico. The time penalty would have considerably modified the highest 10 within the normal classification and impacted the ultimate UCI rating factors of the race in a double-whammy punishment.
Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Hugh Carthy (EF Schooling-EasyPost), Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious), Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Mike Teunissen and Georg Zimmerman (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) have been punished after Saturday’s sixth stage to Osimo for “Use of sidewalks/pavements, paths or cycle lanes that don’t kind a part of the race route.”
Photographers and broadcasters caught a second when a number of riders reduce inside a bollard on the ultimate climb as much as the end to attempt to discover a smoother highway floor. It’s unknown if the UCI jury used the comparatively new VAR (Video Assistant Referee) to determine and punish the riders.
Riders got a 500 Swiss Franc fantastic and docked 25 UCI rating factors, 14 factors within the factors classification, and 20 factors within the Mountains classification below the UCI’s new extra stringent guidelines.
They have been additionally given a 20-second time penalty towards the general standings. Nevertheless, this may have sparked a double punishment for Landa and Carthy, demoting them within the last normal classification. Landa confronted a drop from seventh to tenth total and Carthy a drop from eighth to eleventh. Landa would have misplaced an extra 65 UCI rating factors and Carthy 55 factors.
Groups fought for each UCI rating level throughout the 2022 season to keep away from relegation from the WorldTour and they’re acutely aware that each level gained or misplaced throughout the subsequent three seasons may determine their WorldTour destiny in 2026.
The UCI ultimately backtracked on the time punishment on Sunday morning earlier than the beginning of stage 7 however did not make their determination public. Cyclingnews solely came upon once we contacted race organiser RCS Sport. The UCI knowledgeable groups of their change of coronary heart by way of race radio early within the stage and Landa went on to complete seventh and Carthy eighth.
There may be rising sentiment within the peloton and amongst race organisers that the UCI reveals an absence of stability and understanding when making use of the foundations and issuing punishment.
Soudal-QuickStep staff supervisor Patrick Lefevere urged the UCI was maybe ‘in need of money’ after the federation sanctioned Julian Alaphilippe for briefly eradicating his helmet throughout stage 4 of Tirreno-Adriatico as he eliminated his base layer.
“Wind in Paris-Good and Tirreno-Adriatico, however I discover that additionally it is raining. The fines from the UCI are falling out of the blue this yr,” Lefevere wrote in his weekly column for the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.
