James Knox has written himself into men’s cycling history books—but not for the best reason. The Soudal-QuickStep rider was issued the first yellow card after Stage 5 of the Vuelta a España.
In June, the UCI announced a new approach for rider safety. The idea, which had been floated earlier in 2024, began on August 1 and will be in effect until December 1 for both men’s and women’s races.
The yellow and red card system
“These yellow cards will represent a sanction but will not physically exist. They will, however, be listed in the race communiqué published after the finish,” the statement read. “This initiative will have a dissuasive effect on anyone present in the race convoy (riders, sports directors, other drivers, and motorbike riders, etc.) who might engage in behaviour that could jeopardize the safety of the event. In addition, the system will aim to make all these people more responsible by introducing the monitoring of bad conduct over time and consequently encouraging respectful behaviour.”
The incident in question
So, what did Knox do? His punishment, according to the post-race communiqué, was for “improper, indecent or dangerous behaviour towards spectators.” Apparently, he was a bit of a jerk to a spectator—allegedly pretending to give them a bottle. The fan fell as a result and was caught on camera. Knox was penalized with not only a yellow card but also a fine of 200 Swiss francs (around 311 Canadian dollars) and a deduction of 10 UCI points.
The Soudal-QuickStep directeur sportif Wilfried Peeters had no issue with the fine, stating that Knox deserved it. He described it as a justified sanction to HLN.be.
21 different incidents eligible for cards
Race commissaires are able to issue these yellow cards for any offence likely to pose a risk to the safety of the competition. There are 21 different incidents listed. “It will be possible to impose yellow cards either in addition to other sanctions set out in the table of race incidents or as a stand-alone sanction,” the statement read. “It is important to note that the table of race incidents already provides for the possibility to disqualify a rider. This possibility is not affected by the introduction of the yellow card system.”
During the trial period, yellow cards will be used without additional penalties. That means accumulated yellow cards won’t result in disqualifications or suspensions in UCI WorldTour and UCI Women’s WorldTour events.
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