Danny van Poppel lashes out against UCI over yellow card sequence: "It’s really frustrating to see how inconsistent they are"
Cycling
In the sprints, often we've got very chaotic situations and riders often colliding with each other, or blocking routes. Up until recently, a relegation and fine used to be the largest consequence, but now sprinters are receiving yellow cards which in some very specific cases can lead to suspensions. Danny van Poppel, who has been given one for the second time in the space of a month, is not happy with how this is being applied in some other races.
Van Poppel served as Sam Welsford's leadout at the Tour Down Under, an extremely successful partnership that led to three stage wins. Van Poppel received a yellow card in one of them, blocking the Australian's competition. Now at the UAE Tour, he cut Arvid de Kleijn during the sprint on stage 6 and has received yet another one. Some other riders have received such a consequence over the past few weeks, but the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider is the first to reach the two.
“Something had to change because cycling was becoming very dangerous. But my frustration is that I saw several sprints in which they didn’t give a yellow card, even if they could have done so. They penalised me at the Tour Down Under, but then you see incidents in other races…" van Poppel said in words to Cyclingnews. This happened on the very same day as Milan Fretin's surprising yet controversial sprint win at the Volta ao Algarve, where no consequence was had.
"It’s really frustrating to see how inconsistent they are," van Poppel laments. "It takes a former professional rider to handle the situation, but there are no experienced former riders in the UCI. In the end, I’m fine with it and maybe it’s a wake-up call for cycling".
Ultimately however, he doesn't believe that this system will really impact the sport much, even for a rider with his specific role. “I don’t think it will change much, but I think it’s a good way to highlight things that are not allowed. However, for the moment, I don’t expect it to make a big difference".
Danny van Poppel's first yellow card came at the Tour Down Under
UAE Tour stage 6, Danny van Poppel gets his second yellow card
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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