Ruben Guerreiro has been issued a yellow card for causing a
crash on stage 2 of the
Tour of Oman. The
Movistar Team rider is now the
eleventh cyclist to receive a yellow card from the UCI since the system was
introduced in 2024.
The Portuguese rider was penalised for a "deviation
from the chosen line that obstructs or endangers another rider or irregular
sprint" during Sunday’s stage of the Tour of Oman. The yellow card system
was introduced last summer as part of an initiative to promote safer and fairer
racing. Under the UCI’s regulations, a third yellow card within 30 days results
in a 14-day suspension, while six within a year lead to a 30-day suspension.
Fortunately for Guerreiro, he completed the final stage of
the Tour of Oman,
won by Valentin-Paret Peintre with Adam Yates taking the
overall win, without receiving a second yellow card. Had he received another,
he would have faced a week long suspension and been disqualified from the race.
At last month’s Tour Down Under, the DS of Uno-X Mobility,
Anna Badergruber, was given a yellow card after overtaking the peloton without
maintaining a safe distance after one of her riders had been involved in a
crash.
Iván Roméo, his teammate at Movistar, also received a yellow
card over the weekend for pushing Gianni Vermeersch off the road during
Saturday’s stage of the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana. The commentators picked
up on that incident in the moment, and it was one of the most blatant yellow
cards we’ve seen so far.
Roméo acknowledged the sanction, telling Het Nieuwsblad,
"I accept the punishment because it is justified. Although these things
happen all the time."
What do you think of the yellow card rule? Is it successful?
Or are there other ways to promote safer racing in the peloton?