A measure which will certainly cause a lot of talk… and whose usefulness regarding the safety of riders, one of the major challenges of modern Cycling, can be seriously questioned. This Thursday, with the aim of strengthening its safety rules, particularly for sprints, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and its board of directors have confirmed the implementation sanctions against runners… who celebrate the victory of their sprinter before the finish. The international body only targets riders from teams who have created a train for their sprinter, and who by being too demonstrative often decelerate without their hands on the handlebars, so the peloton rolls at a very fast pace in the final. Celebrations considered dangerous therefore… even if no concrete case comes to mind to justify such a measure, while many projects seem more urgent to decide and regulate. And you, what do you think?
Video – David Lappartient’s speech at the end of 2024
Sanctions ranging from a fine of 500 euros… up to a demotion
Concretely, the new rules which have come into force stipulate that celebrations taking place in the sprint zone may be punished by a fine of up to 500 Swiss Francs (approximately 500 euros), a yellow card, a loss of points or even demotions. They could apply to riders who decelerate during a sprint, knowingly stay in line with other riders, celebrate in the peloton, talk on the radio or take their hands off the handlebars while the sprint is still in progress. Measures which are in addition to the modification of the three kilometer rule, which came into force on January 1: from now on, falls, to be taken into account by the three kilometer rule, will have to be “involve several runners”. This means that a rider falling alone will no longer benefit from this rule. It remains to be seen how these measures will be received by the riders and teams, and how they will be applied on the ground…
