Fines and time penalties Giro d'Italia 2024 | López fined and penalized with UCI points deduction

Disposing of waste, prohibited positions on the bike, sticky bottles, or a shoulder push leading up to a bunch sprint – anything can happen during a race, especially in the Giro d'Italia, which consists of 21 stages. In this overview, IDLProCycling.com keeps track of the various violations and their corresponding penalties for you!

A rider can receive a penalty from the jury for various reasons. One common reason is discarding food and bottles. Special zones are designated on the course for this purpose. If a rider still discards waste outside of these zones, they (or the responsible team leader) can be fined for it.

In addition, fines are often handed out for incidents involving 'sticky bottles'. This is when the rider saves energy by allowing themselves to be towed by the team car when receiving a bottle. Nowadays, riders also have to be mindful of their position on the bike. Positions such as the time trial position (placing wrists over the middle of the handlebars) during a stage and the 'super-tuck' (sitting on the top tube during a descent) have not been allowed by the jury for several years now. The UCI is responsible for this.

Fines are not the only penalty that the jury can impose. They can also issue time penalties or deduct points in secondary classifications such as the points classification or the mountain jersey. A rider's UCI ranking points are not safe in the event of serious or repeated violations either. The severity of the violation, or the frequency of violations within a stage, also leads to a heavier penalty. The ultimate penalty would be disqualification, although this rarely happens in practice.

Fines and time penalties Giro d'Italia 2024

Stage 13

In the thirteenth stage, two fines were dished out. Juan Pedro López of Lidl-Trek was fined 500 Swiss francs for discarding waste in a prohibited area and will also see 25 UCI points deducted. An INEOS team manager received a 500 Swiss franc fine for the same offense, as one of his riders could not be identified.

Stage 12

Stage twelve was another stage that didn't go by without fines being imposed. Martin Marcellusi (Bardiani) has to pay 200 Swiss francs for receiving food in a prohibited area. The Bardiani team manager on duty, Alessandro Donati, even gets a 500 Swiss franc fine for this.

Team managers Gianni Meersman and Addy Engels, of Alpecin-Deceuninck and Visma | Lease a Bike respectively, also received food-related fines. Both ex-pros were fined 200 Swiss francs for not complying with nutritional rules during the race.

On Thursday, May 16, several riders also discarded waste in unauthorized areas. We're talking about Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost) and Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis). Both men have to pay a 500 Swiss franc fine and 25 UCI points will be deducted from their 'total score'.

We conclude this stage with Enrico Gasparotto of BORA-hansgrohe. The two-time Amstel Gold Race winner, now a team manager, receives a 500 Swiss franc fine for discarding waste in a prohibited zone. It's essentially the same infraction as Valgren and Thomas, but since the BORA-hansgrohe rider in question was not identified, the fine went to Gasparotto.

Stage 11

Despite the lack of much hostility, some riders were caught out during the eleventh stage. Tim Merlier was demoted to 89th place just after the finish line for a clumsy maneuver involving Juan Sebastian Molano, received a fine of 500 Swiss francs, and additionally a twelve-point deduction in the points classification. However, the Belgian rider was not the only one who showed his worse side in the sprint. Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ) was also fined 500 Swiss francs and received a 25-point reduction in UCI points for "inappropriate behavior".

Andrea Piccolo (EF Education-EasyPost) and Harrison Wood (Cofidis) were also fined 200 Swiss francs each for "improper or inappropriate behavior", while Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) had to transfer 500 francs to the jury's bank account for disposing of waste where it was not allowed. He also received a 25-point reduction in UCI points.

Finally, a number of team leaders also behaved improperly. Zakkari Dempster (INEOS Grenadiers) was fined 500 Swiss francs for "a violation of the rules regarding team car movements during the race". Matteo Tosatto of Tudor was ultimately fined 200 Swiss francs for not complying with a certain article regarding provisioning.

Stage 10

Even after the rest day, the UCI had quite a few tickets to issue. Riders Esteban Chaves (EF, Matti Breschel), Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla, David McPartland) and Francisco Munoz (Polti-Kometa, Stefano Zanatta) were fined for receiving supplies in a prohibited area, each having to pay 200 Swiss francs, while their coaches were fined 500 Swiss francs each.

Zanatta had to pay an additional 500 Swiss francs for breaking the rules while inspecting his car. Rene Andrle, coach of Israel-Premier Tech, also received a fine of 200 Swiss francs.

Then there was Jan Tratnik, who rode a long solo breakaway. He was penalized for littering in a forbidden area, receiving a 500 Swiss franc fine and a penalty d of 25 UCI points.

Stage 9

Yet again, during stage numero nine, the UCI managed to make some extra money. Luke Lamperti (Soudal Quick-Step) was fined 500 Swiss francs for "improper behavior". The American also had 25 UCI points deducted, while Mikkel Honoré received a 200 Swiss franc fine for so-called "inappropriate behavior".

Plenty of team leaders were also ticketed. Gianni Meersman of Alpecin-Deceuninck was fined 500 Swiss francs for an irregular action, specifically positioning his team car in a leading group when it was not allowed. Several team leaders were fined 200 Swiss francs each, for not following instructions given by the organizers. This included Meersman, Zak Dempster (INEOS Grenadiers), Mickael Leveau (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Frederic Guesdon (Groupama-FDJ).

Stage 8

The UCI made a considerable amount of money during the eighth stage. Danny van Poppel was fined 200 Swiss francs for crossing the finish line in the opposite direction. Movistar saw its rider Will Barta and team leader Max Sciandri receive fines of 200 and 500 Swiss francs, respectively, for providing supplies in a location where it was no longer allowed.

Team leaders Fabio Baldato (UAE-Team Emirates) and René Andrle (Israel-Premier Tech) also received fines for not adhering to the rules, while Astana Qazaqstan Team rider Henok Mulubhran was fined 500 Swiss francs for littering in an unauthorized area.

Stage 7

During the forty-kilometer time trial, three team directors were fined for not maintaining the correct distance from their riders. Those fined include Enrico Gasparotto (BORA-hansgrohe), Steven De Neef (Intermarché-Wanty) and – for the second day in a row – Alexandr Shefer of the Astana Qazaqstan Team. The fine amounts to 200 Swiss francs per team director.

Stage 6

On day six, Alpecin-Deceuninck incurred fines, specifically Nicola Conci (200 Swiss francs) and team director Gianni Meersman (500 Swiss francs). The team received these for "improper feeding times". A similar fine was also issued to Davide Bramati of Soudal Quick-Step, although for that team director, it was 200 Swiss francs.

Astana team director Alexandr Shefer also faced a penalty, this time for not adhering to rules imposed by the organizers (200 Swiss francs). Additionally, Shefer was fined an extra 500 Swiss francs because one of his riders — whose identity is unknown — disposed of waste in a location where it was not allowed.

Stage 5

Far from exemplary behavior in stage number five, which led towards Lucca. Clément Davy (Groupama-FDJ) and Enrico Zanoncello (Bardiani) have been fined 200 Swiss francs, received a one-minute time penalty in the general classification, and had fifteen UCI points deducted for illegally drafting behind a vehicle. The team managers of those two teams, Frederic Guesdon and Roberto Reverberi, respectively, have also received fines: both are to pay 500 Swiss francs.

Then, Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) and Fabian Lienhard (Groupama-FDJ) received fines for taking food in a non-designated area: 200 Swiss francs each and another 500 Swiss francs for the team managers. Are we done? Certainly not! Cyril Dessel, team manager at Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, has to pay 500 Swiss francs for unauthorized movements with the team car.

Was that all? Not quite yet! The aforementioned Zanoncello has also received another fine, this time for 'improper conduct'. Another 500 Swiss francs and another deduction of 25 UCI points. Finally, we end with Alpecin-Deceuninck-boys Quinten Hermans and Timo Kielich, both receiving fines of 200 Swiss francs for 'indecent behavior'. The difference between these two mentioned penalties is currently unclear.

Stage 4

In the fourth stage, some riders and team directors didn't put their best foot forward. Stefano Oldani, Damien Touzé and Pelayo Sanchez were each fined 200 Swiss francs for "inappropriate behavior". Ryan Mullen also received a hefty fine of 500 Swiss francs and was deducted 25 UCI points for discarding waste outside of the designated area.

Team directors Gianni Meersman (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Matt Winston (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) and Roberto Reverberi (Bardiani-CSF) were fined as well because one of their riders made the same mistake. Movistar team director Maximilian Sciandri was also penalized with a 500 Swiss franc fine when one of his team members littered outside the permitted zone. Lastly, while forty bikes were checked, the officials did not detect any issues.

Stage 3

Certain riders did not follow the rules in stage three. Both Christophe Laporte and Bert Van Lerberghe were found to have used the sidewalk, which carries a severe penalty: a fine of 1,000 Swiss francs, a time penalty of twenty seconds, 25 points deduction on the UCI Ranking, two penalty points for the mountain classification, and forty points deduction in the points classification of this Giro.

Additionally, Intermarché-Wanty, Lidl-Trek and Soudal Quick-Step have each been fined 500 Swiss francs for not disposing of litter in the correct place by one of their riders.

Stage 2

After an opening day with zero incidents, the first fines were issued on day two. Team director Matti Breschel of EF Education-EasyPost was fined 200 Swiss francs for a violation related to handing food to a rider. Another fine, 500 Swiss francs for littering outside the designated area, was imposed on another team director, Alexandr Shefer of Astana Qazaqstan. Although one of his riders was responsible, they could not be identified. Lastly, 39 bicycles were checked, and no violations were found.

Stage 1

The peloton behaved exemplarily in the first stage of the Giro. Forty bikes were checked and the jury found all of these to be in perfect order.