"We arrived one minute late": Lotto DS fined 3000 CHF at Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes over a new TTT rule
Cycling
The UCI jury had started to enforce a new rule this week which has caused many teams at the on-going Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes to lose a significant amount of money ahead of stage 3 team time trial. The reason? Coming late to an equipment check prior to the team time trial.
Team manager Mario Aerts was swindled out of no less than 3,000 Swiss francs (3,254 euros) because the riders' bikes were not presented in time for the mandatory inspection before the start of the team time trial in Perreux.
According to Article 2.12.007-9.2 of the UCI regulations, this must be done at least ten minutes before the start time of the team concerned in that TTT. Any violation of this is punishable by 500 Swiss francs (542 euros) per rider. In this case: six, because Roel van Sintmaartensdijk already withdrew on Monday.
"Previously, every rider had to be present at the 'check' with their bike fifteen minutes before the start time," explains Lotto-Intermarché team manager Steven De Neef.
"Recently, a margin of five minutes has been allowed, which permits riders to report up to ten minutes in advance. On Tuesday, we ourselves sent a mechanic ahead to the checkpoint with the six time trial bikes on the roof of one of our support vehicles. The riders covered that route on their regular bikes and arrived – I estimate – one minute late."
A minor mistake that is being counted very heavily, raising the question of whether the fine amount is proportionate to the nature of the offense. "It is a lot of money, that is true. But unfortunately, there was nothing we could do about it. It is the first time the new rule is being applied, and the UCI clearly wants to set an example," said De Neef.
Three sinners
Incidentally, Team Jayco AlUla (DS Mathew Hayman) and TotalEnergies (DS Benoît Genauzeau) were also penalized for the same mishap – in their case, the riders were present, but the bikes arrived too late. For them, the fine rose up to rise to 3,500 Swiss francs (3,797 euros) as they started the team time trial with a full team of seven riders.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin is wuite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
- You'll be the ongoing joke of 2027 with anything you post here!frieders302-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment