Jury & Fines Vuelta a Espana 2026 Update Stage 9 - UAE punished for 'sticky bottle' as Jayco AlUla also sanctioned
CyclingMonday, 31 August 2026 at 11:41
At the 2026 Vuelta a Espana, the racing does not always end at the finish line. Sprint deviations, dangerous riding, drafting, sticky bottles, illegal feeding and littering can all lead to fines, time penalties, UCI points deductions, yellow cards or relegations once the commissaires have reviewed the day's stage.
This live 2026 Vuelta a Espana Jury and Fines hub will be updated after every stage with the official decisions published by the race jury. Each confirmed ruling will include the rider or team involved, the offence and the penalty imposed.
Where a decision alters a stage result, time gap, classification position or a rider's status in the race, that consequence will also be recorded alongside the sanction. The page will provide a running stage-by-stage record of the disciplinary decisions issued throughout the 2026 Vuelta.
Stage 1
Nothing to note.
Stage 2
Nothing to note.
Stage 3
The third stage of the race was cancelled due to extreme weather conditions, which forced the riders to seek shelter from hail within the final kilometers of the stage. The race's official report featured the following statement regarding the decision made to cancel all results of the stage:
"Stage 3 has been cancelled following consultation between the organiser and the President of the Commissaires’ Panel. The decision was taken due to a significant deterioration in weather conditions during the stage, including poor visibility, strong winds and icy road conditions. After consultation with the organiser, the President of the Commissaires’ Panel decided that the results of both the intermediate sprint and the mountain sprint is been cancelled".
Stage 4
Nothing to note.
Stage 5
Alexey Lutsenko (NSN Cycling Team): Line deviation during final sprint (elbow hit). Yellow card.
Orluis Aular (Movistar Team). Line deviation during final sprint (elbow hit). Yellow card, 500CHF fine, 8 points in points classification penalization, relegation.
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe DS Sven Vanthourenhout: Rider disposing waste outside of litter zone. 500CHF fine.
Stage 6
Nothing to note.
Stage 7
Decathlon CMA CGM Team DS Cyril Dessel: Irregular feeding by a team car inside an organiser-designated feed zone. 500CHF fine.
NSN Cycling Team DS Jonathan McCarty: Irregular feeding by a team car inside an organiser-designated feed zone. 500CHF fine.
Alexey Lutsenko (NSN Cycling Team): Irregular feeding by a team car inside an organiser-designated feed zone. 200CHF fine.
Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana Team): Irregular feeding. 200CHF fine.
Henok Mulueberhan (XDS Astana Team): Irregular feeding. 200CHF fine.
XDS Astana Team DS Alexandr Shefer: Irregular feeding. 500CHF fine.
Alessandro Romele (XDS Astana Team): Improper conduct endangering others. Yellow card.
Read also
Stage 8
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe DS Sven Vanthourenhout: Rider disposing of waste outside litter zone.
All riders who crashed inside final 5 kilometers to go have been awarded the same time.
Stage 9
UAE Team Emirates - XRG: Irregular feeding (“sticky bottle” for a short distance). 500CHF fine.
Team Jayco AlUla: Failing to respect the instructions of the organiser or commissaires. 200CHF fine.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 6visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- You've lost me there? You would need to explain your thinking on that comment.Cyclingsbestfan31-08-2026
- Maybe if fans would crowdfund Alpacin’s losses that might happen. The Tour is the reason cycling exists commercially at all and riders no longer have to work for peanuts.Mistermaumau31-08-2026
- Yeah but you can’t suppose there was NOBODY who saw anything. Someone didn’t do what any leading rider should. Not saying there needs to be blame but the lack of focus was more likely elsewhere.Mistermaumau31-08-2026
- It doesn’t even pay the paper it’s sent on.Mistermaumau31-08-2026
- I suspect nothing has actually changed to the previous truth, just adding froth?Mistermaumau31-08-2026
- We don’t know he’d have avoided injury even with two hands on deck or whether it might have been avoided or worse but the take is very badly developed. Of 10 riders close up to others riding ahead of them, half will be focused on debris one side and half on the other, that’s a matter of luck. Some will see and signal, some won’t see or can’t/won’t signal, that part makes you dependent on others so also mostly luck. The only part not down to luck is deciding to drink at a moment when you’re not able to take corrective action in case of emergency (for which you should always be prepared). For me, the most interesting question therefore is why he chose to drink at such a moment. Other than that, it’d be interesting to hear from all the riders ahead regarding who saw what or who was signalling or even tried but couldn’t without creating risk, if anyone. Some were maybe lucky it wasn’t them, it’s not because you didn’t hit it that you saw and avoided, others are maybe partly responsible because they saw it but didn’t signal. The primary reason is definitely not lack of focus at that moment because with one hand off and drinking (for which you usually turn your head/eyes upwards away from the road) there is nothing you can focus on properly.Mistermaumau31-08-2026
- Agreed. Would genuinely love to see this, MVDP back to his best MTB’ing and facing off against Pidcock.anonymouscyclist31-08-2026
- 2021 was electric for MVDP v Pidcock off-road duels in the World Cup rounds. MVDP hasn’t been the same since his crash at the Tokyo Olympic Games, but one can still reminisce their battles.anonymouscyclist31-08-2026
- "Reduced focusing" - what a load of nonsense. There is a sad, envious tinge of negativity from the journalist, Stef Clement. As my Dad used to say, "If you ask 100 people what colour a white panel is there's always one bugger who'll say it is black." He sounds desperate to have a different take on things to make a name for himself. Nasty tinged nonsense.charles31-08-2026
- More likely that they just didn't ride into it
Rafionain-Glas31-08-2026
Loading
3 Comments