Tour de France Femmes 2026 fines & penalties | The jury stays silent over controversial Niewiadoma-Gery incident

In a Grand Tour, riders push the limits of what is physically possible, and to achieve that, riders and teams naturally test the boundaries of the rules as well. Every day, it is up to the race jury at the Tour de France Femmes to identify and punish rule violations with a yellow card, a fine and/or a time penalty. IDL Pro Cycling keeps track of the jury reports.

Demi Vollering won Stage 8 and took over the yellow jersey after a sensational coup, but the major talking point afterwards was the incident involving Kasia Niewiadoma and Célia Gery. The French champion from FDJ United-SUEZ was accused of deliberately forcing the yellow jersey wearer towards the side of the road, leaving Niewiadoma furious after losing the race lead in the aftermath. The question was whether the young Frenchwoman had actually broken any rules.

The incident generated plenty of discussion and analysis, but the race jury remained silent. Its post-stage report contained nothing relating to the confrontation: no penalty was issued to Gery, FDJ United-SUEZ or Vollering.

In fact, the jury had nothing else to report from the stage either. No riders or team staff were fined or penalised during the day.

The jury had a busy day with the finish on Mont Ventoux, as the jury report was packed with incidents. Maria Rosa Klöser (CANYON//SRAM) received assistance from a teammate in a way that is not permitted under the regulations. It earned her a fine of 200 Swiss francs.

The ‘sticky bottle’ was popular as well. Maeva Squiban (UAE Team L’IMAD), Jeanne Korevaar (Liv AlUla Jayco), Mia Griffin (Picnic PostNL), Heide Franz (St Michel-Preference Home) and Malou Eisen (VolkerWessels) were all fined 100 Swiss francs as riders. Their sports directors were each handed a 200-franc fine.

The fines were also coming thick and fast for FDJ United-SUEZ. Sports director Nicolas Maire failed to follow the commissaire’s instructions and was fined 200 Swiss francs. Demi Vollering, Juliette Berthet and Célia Gery opted for a team nature break which, according to the jury, took place in view of the public. All three riders were fined 100 Swiss francs.

The UCI’s coffers were filled a little further after stage 6. Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka (CANYON//SRAM) and Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) were both penalised for disposing of waste outside the designated litter zones. Each rider received a fine of 250 Swiss francs and had 15 UCI points deducted.

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and Morgane Coston (Ma Petite Entreprise) were both fined 100 Swiss francs for what is known in cycling as a ‘sticky bottle’ — receiving prolonged assistance from a bottle handed up from a team vehicle.

The team directors involved, Christian Kos and Gaël Le Bellec, were punished more heavily for the same incident. Both were fined 200 Swiss francs by the race jury.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot had already endured a difficult day after losing time, but the Frenchwoman also appeared in the jury report. She was fined 250 Swiss francs and docked 15 UCI points for disposing of waste outside the designated litter zone.

There was also an incident involving a race motorbike that knocked down Noemi Rüegg of EF Education-EasyPost during the stage. Reynald Bos, the motorbike rider involved, received a 200-Swiss-franc fine and a yellow card for breaching the regulations governing vehicle movements during the race. Huub Duijn, Rüegg’s sports director, received the same punishment, although the precise reason for his penalty was not specified.

Finally, Laboral Kutxa also received several penalties. Usoa Ostolaza Zabala was handed two fines of 100 Swiss francs for two separate instances of taking supplies outside the permitted feeding regulations. Sports director Ion Lazkano was also given two fines of 200 Swiss francs for the same offences.

Nothing to report!

No penalties were handed out during stage 3, but the jury report still attracted plenty of attention. That was because of an announcement concerning the stage 4 time trial. On Tuesday, before every rider starts, the jury will carry out an additional clothing check alongside the usual equipment inspections, paying particular attention to anything that may alter a rider’s chest area or overall body shape.

A check for what, exactly? Yes, you read that correctly. Officials will be paying particularly close attention to compliance with article 1.3.032, which prohibits non-essential elements, clothing or accessories that modify the shape of a rider’s body. This can include padding inside clothing, additional material incorporated into a time-trial skinsuit and, in the women’s peloton, padding worn around the bust.

It is not yet clear exactly how the UCI intends to conduct the checks, or whether officials have any information about each rider’s usual chest measurements or cup size. However, padding a bra to create an aerodynamic advantage is prohibited. The jury report therefore explicitly states that riders must be ready for their final bike and clothing inspections no later than ten minutes before their scheduled time-trial start.

The limits were tested again on the second day, including by Lotto-Intermarché rider Dina Boels. Boels and teammate Romina Hinojosa Cruz crossed the finish line inside the time limit, just ahead of the broom wagon. However, Boels had spent too long drafting behind a car. She was fined 100 Swiss francs, handed a one-minute penalty in the general classification and had five UCI points deducted. Sports director Grace Verbeke received a 200-franc fine for the infringement.

The Belgian sports director was also fined another 500 Swiss francs for failing to follow the commissaires’ instructions. Several “sticky bottles” were spotted as well. Francesca Barale of Movistar and Robyn Clay of Picnic PostNL were each fined 100 Swiss francs, while their sports directors Kelvin Dekker and Callum Ferguson were each handed a 200-franc fine.

Several people were penalised during stage 1 for violating the rules regarding vehicle movements during the race. Press vehicle driver Stéphane Chanal and sports directors Christian Kos (SD Worx-Protime), Ion Lazkano (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi) and Chérie Pridham (UAE) were each fined 500 Swiss francs and given a yellow card. Sports director Huub Duijn (EF Education-Oatly) also received a 500-Swiss-franc fine for a similar infringement.

Alice Towers (EF Education-Oatly) was penalised for carelessly throwing away a bidon or other waste outside the designated litter zones. She received a fine of 250 Swiss francs and had 15 UCI points deducted.

Several riders also received an official warning for riding on pavements that were not part of the official course. Those riders were Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Lieke Nooijen (both Visma | Lease a Bike), Lily Williams (Human Powered Health) and Josie Nelson (Picnic PostNL).

Finally, Alison Jackson (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93) received an official warning for adopting a riding position that did not comply with the regulations.