After a test period at the end of last season, the first official yellow card was issued in cycling. The "honor" went to Uno-X team sports director Anna Badegruber, who passed the peloton too closely with the team car during the Santos Tour Down Under after one of her riders was involved in a crash. Additionally, Badegruber was fined 200 Swiss francs.
"If the commissaires decided that my pass was too dangerous and I deserved a yellow card, then so be it, and we move on. But in reality, you don't want to get a second yellow card in the same race, because then you're disqualified. Therefore, it should be very clearly defined what one can get a yellow card for," said Badegruber.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) has introduced a new rule whereby a person who has received two yellow cards in one race is disqualified from the event and cannot participate in any competition for seven days. In addition to dangerous maneuvers, a yellow card can also be earned for prohibited assistance, among other things.
To increase safety, a rule came into effect on January 1st that cyclists can be penalized for stopping pedaling in a group sprint, lifting their hands off the handlebars before the finish line, or otherwise creating dangerous situations.
