Patrick Lefevere doesn’t seem to be a big fan of the new UCI rules. After the announcement a few days ago, it is official that from 2025 a new “yellow card” system which will sanction the runners and more generally all the members of the caravan guilty of dangerous behaviour. According to the Soudal Quick-Step team manager, however, this new sanction still leaves many questions, especially in relation to who will be required to issue warnings during races given that very often racing juries are made up of people who have never competed on a bicycle.
In his weekly editorial on Het Nieuwsblad the Belgian manager commented on the UCI’s decisions as follows: “Between fines, deductions of UCI points, downgrading and disqualifications, there are already many sanctions. I believe the yellow card could exist as a less drastic penalty than a disqualification, but for a rider it is more serious than a fine which is usually paid by the team […] I don’t mind the idea itself, but everything will depend on the practical implementation. Who will be the referee who can decide to give a yellow card? Racing juries are almost always made up of people who have never raced a bicycle. My advice is to involve former runners in the decision making process to decide which behaviors really put safety at risk.”
Another change that does not convince Lefevere at all is the one that concerns the limitation of the use of radios, which the UCI considers both “a source of distraction for the riders and a physical danger, as the radio units are mounted on the back , and represent a risk when a large number of teams simultaneously ask their riders to move to the front of the race.” In the editorial this concept is rejected and more dangerous than the radios themselves.
“It’s a completely ridiculous idea – he explains – Let’s translate this to a normal workplace: an employer is not allowed to talk to their staff while carrying out their work. The UCI considers this a safety measure as the radio on your back poses a physical danger in the event of a fall. But it means removing a tool that helps inform runners of unexpected dangers on the road. What happens if there is a car on the course and your two cyclists with earphones are no longer competing for whatever reason? It’s absurd, of course. The first yellow card in cycling could soon go to the UCI itself“.
