"Whoever hands out yellow cards will have to be able to judge well what is and isn't acceptable" - Greg Van Avermaet weighs in on yellow card debate
Cycling
Greg Van Avermaet has shared his thoughts on the use of yellow cards in cycling, a rule introduced last summer to enhance safety in the sport and punish those who don’t compete within the regulations. But has it been successful?
The discussion arose after stage 1 of the UAE Tour, where Jasper Philipsen was demoted following the finish due to what the UCI deemed a dangerous sprint. The decision reignited debate on the effectiveness and clarity of the yellow card system, as well as its ability to actually increase rider safety.
Speaking on the Sporza Daily podcast, Van Avermaet commented, "The Philipsen case is an interesting situation."
"It was a typical reaction of disappointment, where he swerved. It's difficult to estimate, but I wouldn't declassify him anyway. The sprint had been completed and the speed wasn't too high. But in other situations, it could have been yellow."
Van Avermaet acknowledged the challenge in fairly distributing penalties. "Whoever hands out yellow cards will have to be able to judge well what is and isn't acceptable."
The former Olympic champion believes that the role of former professional cyclists is crucial in these decisions. "It is important that former riders decide on these kinds of matters. They have been in these kinds of situations themselves and can assess it better. If you have not done it yourself, it is difficult to judge it," he stated.
The controversy surrounding Philipsen is not new. His sprinting has been criticised on multiple occasions, including at the 2023 and 2024 Tour de France, where he was accused of dangerous manoeuvres.
At 26 years old, Philipsen is arguably the best sprinter in the world, boasting nine Tour de France stage wins and a Vuelta a Espana stage victory. However, his aggressive sprinting style continues to divide opinion, making the enforcement of safety rules all the more significant as 2025 goes on.
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- Not only the public, just about every analyst and commentator had been piling it on. Under the circumstances I’d even say he’s showing real character. Not sure likeable Tadej would manage as well during a longer rough patch.Mistermaumau03-04-2025
- Took a while but we finally have a more nuanced analysis.Mistermaumau03-04-2025
- If I remember right, it was those same hungry journalists selling us a different story less than a year ago about the bleak future of Dutch (men’s) cycling with no possible successor for MVDP ;-)Mistermaumau03-04-2025
- Good, hopefully Jonas goes also so we get a nice duelvappaxbipmv03-04-2025
- right? i think it’s hungry journalists that fuel this, and i understand the jam they can be in trying to create stories, but you’d hate to think ANYONE is failing to appreciate how RARE someone like van der poel is (or how LUCKY we are to have both mvdp and pog racing at the same time). a little perspective is a good thing…OCexile03-04-2025
- Anyone know how long that 213km ride took? Coz without that the segment speeds don’t reveal anything surprising. If it took him Less than 5h ok but otherwise it was just some interval training for him.Jumpyjohn03-04-2025
- Hinault was even lighter than Pog at 62 kg when he won PR in 1981, beating Roger van Vlaeminck no less (albeit at the fag end of the latter's career), so it can be done.Cooldude03-04-2025
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KerisVroom03-04-2025 - If he's very lucky maybe he can podium a Tour one season, I certainly don't believe he can win it, evervappaxbipmv03-04-2025