Fines and penalties Tour de France 2023 | Find out who got fined - and why - in the Tour de France 2023

Littering, banned 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 Tour de France, where the stakes are highest and the riders' nervousness is amplified. At IDLProCycling.com, we keep track of those who cross the line during the stages and what punishment follows their offenses.

The jury can impose penalties on riders for various infractions. One common offense is littering food and bidons, which should only be discarded in designated zones along the course. Riders who dispose of waste outside these zones may face fines. Additionally, fines are often issued for using sticky bidons, a technique where riders benefit from being towed by a team car while receiving a bidon, while holding on to the bidon for just a little bit too long. Furthermore, riders now need to be mindful of their riding positions. Certain positions, such as the time trial position (resting wrists on the center of the handlebar) during a stage, and the "super-tuck" (sitting on the top bar during a descent), have been banned since last year.

Fines are not the only means of punishment the jury can impose. They can also issue time penalties or deduct points in relation to secondary classifications such as the points classification or the mountain jersey. Furthermore, a rider's UCI ranking points are not safe in case of serious or repeated violations. The severity of the offense or the frequency of violations within a stage determines the severity of the penalty. Disqualification is the most extreme penalty in this regard.

Fines and time penalties Tour de France 2023

Stage 21 - Sunday, July 23, 2023: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines - Paris (115.1)

In the final stage, no fines were given, but the organization did explain why they decided to record the classification times prior to the actual finish. "It started raining twelve kilometers out from the finish line, so it was immediately decided, for safety reasons and in accordance with the rules, to record the final times at the next crossing of the finish line."

Stage 20 - Saturday, July 22, 2023: Belfort - Le Markstein (133.5 km)

Carlos Rodríguez had a fall during the descent of the first climb. The general classification rider then faced a furious chase to rejoin the peloton. During that chase, the Spaniard received assistance from the team car, also known as drafting. Despite the circumstances of the crash, the race jury didn't let the incident slide: he was given a twenty-second time penalty, had points deducted in both the points classification and mountain classification, and also received a fine of 200 Swiss francs. The team director, Steve Cummings, also received a fine of 500 Swiss francs.

Then there was Rui Costa. The Intermarché-Circus-Wanty rider briefly rode on the sidewalk, leading to several penalties. The Portuguese rider was required to pay the organization 200 Swiss francs. Additionally, he received a time penalty, point deductions in various classifications, and a 25-point deduction in the UCI ranking. Furthermore, 33 bikes were checked for mechanical fraud, and all of them passed the inspection.

Stage 19 - Friday, July 21, 2023: Morains-en-Montagne - Poligny (172.8 km)

In the nineteenth stage of the Tour de France, only Christophe Laporte received a fine. The Frenchman riding for Jumbo-Visma has to pay 200 Swiss francs for displaying inappropriate behavior while discarding a bidon. For Laporte, it's a small setback on an otherwise good day. He was part of the breakaway group and finished in a respectable sixth place.

From the perspective of mechanical doping checks, 34 bikes were inspected, with eight of them undergoing an x-ray to verify that no motor had been installed in the frame. Each bike was fully compliant with the regulations.

Stage 18 - Thursday, July 20, 2023: Moutiers - Bourg-en-Bresse (184.9 km)

Norwegian Jonas Abrahamsen was one of the four who managed to stun the sprinting peloton by staying ahead. The Uno-X rider impressively finished third, but along the way, he showed a less positive side of himself. Abrahamsen urinated from his bike - not uncommon for professional cyclists - in full view of the public. The latter resulted in his action being deemed "indecent behavior" by the jury, resulting in a 200 Swiss franc fine.

Furthermore, there were fines for Tom Steels (Soudal Quick-Step team manager) and Gino Van Droogenbroeck (Soudal Quick-Step staff member). They were penalized for irregular provisioning. Steels was fined 500 Swiss francs. Van Droogenbroeck received no fine but was excluded from the nineteenth stage. Additionally, there were checks for mechanical fraud on the bicycles, but nothing suspicious was found during the inspections.

Stage 17 - Wednesday, July 19, 2023: Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc - Courchevel (165.7 km)

We are deep into the third week, and chaos in the Tour de France only seems to be increasing. The jury report of the seventeenth stage includes another series of notable incidents. Let's start with what we saw on television - chaos on Col de la Loze, with a motorcyclist coming to a halt, and the race organization's car unable to pass. As a result, Jonas Vingegaard and Wilco Kelderman were delayed.

We've seen something similar happen earlier in the Tour, and on that occasion, two motorcyclists were removed from the race course for a day. The same penalty has now been imposed on driver Joël Chary, who had none other than French television reporter Thomas Voeckler French on the back of his motor. Both men will not be allowed to report for the eighteenth stage on Thursday. Additionally, they both receive a fine of 500 Swiss francs.

Now, let's talk about Pello Bilbao. The Spanish rider of Bahrain Victorious was part of the breakaway on Wednesday, finished third, climbed to sixth place in the overall standings, but also received an official warning. He allegedly mistreated a fan during the race. Footage shows him hitting a man who was running alongside him on the head. Other fines that were imposed on Wednesday include sporting directors Juan Manuel Garate (EF) and Andrej Hauptman (UAE) being fined for improper refueling of riders. Garate received a fine of 500 francs, Hauptman's was 200 francs. EF assistant Plaice Kier will even be suspended for one stage.
Finally, Lawson Craddock and Vegard Stake Laengen received fines as well. Craddock, who was part of the breakaway, disposed of waste in the wrong place and was fined 500 Swiss francs and deducted 25 UCI points. UAE's Laengen had trouble with a sticky bidon and received a fine of 200 Swiss francs for that.

Rewatch Bilbao's slap below...

Stage 16 - Tuesday, July 18, 2023: Passy - Combloux (22. 4 km time trial)

The jury definitely didn't have issues keeping the riders in check during this time trial. Only Stefan Küng violated the rules with an unauthorized refueling. The Swiss time trialist of Groupama-FDJ was penalized with a time penalty of twenty seconds and a fine of 200 Swiss francs.

Benoit Genauzeau (TotalEnergies) also received a fine of 200 Swiss francs. He allegedly did not respect the instructions of the commissioners. Finally, thirteen bikes were checked for mechanical fraud, and all thirteen passed the inspection.

Stage 14 - Saturday, July 15, 2023: Annemasse - Morzine les Portes du Soleil (151.8 km)

The burning question after stage fourteen of the Tour de France: what will the jury do about the mountain sprint on the Col de Joux, which was spoiled for Tadej Pogacar due to two obstructing motorcycles? The jury report does not hold back: both motorcycles (one belonging to a French television channel and one to a photographer) will be banned from the Tour for one stage. On Sunday, during the fifteenth stage, we won't see either of them on the course. Additionally, they will receive a fine of 500 Swiss francs. In the third week, they are theoretically welcome again - so it seems.

In addition to another fine for a camera motorcyclist, some of the riders also received penalties. Michal Kwiatkowski (INEOS Grenadiers) and his team director Steve Cummings each received a fine of 200 francs for providing supplies where it was no longer allowed. In addition, Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) took a restroom break in a spot where it wasn't permitted and was punished with a 200 franc fine.

Stage 13 - Friday, July 14, 2023: Châtillon-Sur-Chalaronne - Grand Colombier (137.8 km)

The thirteenth stage of the Tour de France was one in which primarily the team directors were slapped with fines. Rik Verbrugghe (Israel-Premier Tech), Steve Cummings (INEOS Grenadiers), and Laurenzo Lapage (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) received penalties. Verbrugghe (500 francs) for supplying provisions at the wrong place, Cummings (200 francs) for the absence of a race number on Ben Turner, and Lapage (200 francs) for not following stewards' instructions.

Turner, who had to withdraw from the Tour on Friday due to stomach issues, also received a farewell gift of a 200 franc fine for the missing race number. Lastly, Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny) was handed a bill of 500 francs and a deduction of 25 UCI points for discarding waste at the wrong location.

Stage 12 - Thursday July 13 2023: Roanne - Belleville-en-Beaujolais (168.8 km)

In a scorching fast stage, the jury intervened multiple times on Thursday, July 13th. Peter Sagan and Mathieu Burgaudeau from TotalEnergies were hit with the heaviest penalty, which included a fine of 500 Swiss francs, a ten-second time penalty in the general classification and six penalty points in the points classification for drafting behind the team car in the opening phase. Burgaudeau benefited from it, as he eventually finished second from the breakaway.

Ruben Guerreiro from Movistar had already failed the jury's scrutiny earlier in this Tour after a reckless maneuver during a mountain sprint, and on day twelve, it happened again for the Portuguese rider. He discarded waste in the wrong place, resulting in a 500-franc fine and 25 penalty points in the UCI Ranking.

Stage 11 - Wednesday, July 12, 2023: Clérmont-Ferrand - Moulins (179.8 km)

The jury enjoyed a quiet day as no fines were issued during the 11th stage from Clérmont-Ferrand to Moulins.

Stage 10 - Tuesday, July 11, 2023: Vulcania - Issoire (167.2 km)

There was aggressive racing on Tuesday, and that generally leads to more penalties. Luca Mozzato and his Arkéa Samsic team manager Sébastien Hinault were fined 200 Swiss francs for overly conspicuous handoffs of a bidon. Antonio Pedrero (Movistar) had to cough up 500 Swiss francs for urinating in a spot where it is not allowed.

Not all team managers behaved properly either: Christoph Roodfhoot (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Bingen Fernandez (Cofidis) each received a 200 Swiss franc fine for not following instructions.

Stage 9 - Sunday, July 9, 2023: Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat - Puy de Dome (182.4 km)

The jury report following the stage to Puy de Dome was concise but positive. The peloton displayed exemplary behavior, leading to no grounds for penalties. However, prior to the stage, 56 bikes underwent inspection for mechanical fraud, with nine of them subjected to X-ray examination. Fortunately, all bicycles passed the inspection without any issues.

Stage 8 - Saturday, July 8, 2023: Libourne - Limoges (200.7 km)

Just like the previous day, the eighth stage of the Tour de France saw minimal penalties and imposed fines for the riders and team managers. However, a few individuals found themselves in the spotlight as mentioned in the official statement by the race jury. Michael Gogl (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Frederik Frison (Lotto-Dstny) were both fined 200 Swiss francs for irregularly obtaining water bottles. Team managers Christoph Roodhooft (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Mario Aerts (Lotto-Dstny) received the same fine for their involvement in the incident.

Additionally, Astana Qazaqstan team manager Alexandr Shefer was penalized with a 200 Swiss franc fine for displaying insufficient respect towards the race officials when it came to following instructions. Yves Lampaert (Soudal-Quick-Step) was also fined the same amount for urinating at kilometer 116 in an area with too much public presence.

Stage 7 - Friday, July 7, 2023: Mont-de-Marsan - Bordeaux (169.9 km)

In stage seven, the penalties were relatively minor. Arkéa Samsic team manager Sébastien Hinault was fined 200 Swiss francs for not following instructions, while INEOS Grenadiers had to pay 500 Swiss francs for a rider urinating in a non-designated area.

Stage 6 - Wednesday July 5th, 2023: Tarbes - Cauterets-Cambasque (144.9 km)

The sixth day of the Tour de France by no means provided a full jury report. In fact, everyone behaved exemplary, except for Ruben Guerreiro of Movistar. The Portuguese were eager to steal the 20 points from Tobias Johannessen of Uno-X on the Col du Tourmalet, using an elbow and more. The Norwegian narrowly stayed on the bike and madly won the sprint after all. Guerreiro was fined 500 Swiss francs by the jury as well as a deduction of five mountain points.

Furthermore, there were a few riders who did not dispose of their waste in the right place. Rui Costa (Intermarché) and Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X) were fined 500 Swiss francs as a result, plus a deduction of 25 UCI points. Frans Maassen, sporting director of Jumbo-Visma, was fined 200 francs for not correctly following instructions from the marshals.

Watch Guerreiro's mountain sprint below...

Stage 5 - Wednesday July 5th, 2023: Pau - Laruns (162.7 km)

In the fifth stage, no severe penalties were imposed. Ben O'Connor (AG2R) and Alberto Bettiol (EF) were fined 500 Swiss francs for urinating within the crowd's view, and the rest of the penalties were given to sporting directors. Xavier Florencio (500 francs) opened the door of his car in a prohibited area, while Mathew Hayman (Jayco-AlUla) and Rolf Aldag (BORA-hansgrohe) failed to follow the marshals' instructions properly.

Aldag also received a warning for not properly instructing his BORA staff on how to pass the peloton correctly. Lastly, Steven De Neef, team director at Intermarché-Circus-Wanty, received a fine because an unidentified rider from the team discarded waste in the wrong place.

Stage 4 - Tuesday, July 4th, 2023: Dax - Nogaro (181.8 km)

Sprints have been under scrutiny in recent days. Not only due to safety concerns and the course layout but also because of various nudges and maneuvers that are being examined closely. Mathieu van der Poel can now attest to this as well, from firsthand experience. After the stage, which was won by his teammate Jasper Philipsen, the Dutch rider was slapped with a fine of 500 Swiss francs and had thirteen points deducted in the points classification for endangering other riders. Additionally, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was relegated to the last position in the group he was in upon crossing the finish line. This penalty pertains to the push he gave Biniam Girmay just before executing his lead-out for Philipsen.

Sprinter Phil Bauhaus has also been penalized for a similar offense. Although the Bahrain-Victorious rider was not demoted in the stage results, where he finished third, he received a time penalty in the general classification. Additionally, he was fined 500 Swiss francs and had fifty points deducted in the points classification. This incident occurred one and a half kilometers from the finish line.

Stage 3 - Monday, July 3th, 2023: Amorebieta-Etxano - Bayonne (193.5 km)

On the third day of the biggest cycling event in the world, the same fine was issued three times. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers), Ramon Sinkeldam (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Chris Harper (Team Jayco-AlUla) have all been fined for littering outside the designated zone. They are each fined 500 Swiss francs. Additionally, they will receive 25 penalty points in the UCI classification. As part of the fight against high-tech fraud, 72 bicycles were inspected. All bicycles complied with the UCI regulations.

Stage 2 - Sunday, July 2nd, 2023: Vitoria-Gasteiz - San Sebastián (208.9 km) 

The questionable honor of receiving the first fines went to Mattias Skjelmose and Alberto Bettiol. The two riders got a little too carried away during the sprint. Both were penalized by the jury for deviating from their racing line. Consequently, they were dropped to the last two positions in the group of 24 riders. Skjelmose was initially in sixth place, and Bettiol in thirteenth. Additionally, the two riders were fined 500 Swiss francs and had thirteen points deducted in the points classification.

The jury report concludes with the inspection of 68 bikes for mechanical fraud, with eight of them undergoing X-ray examination. Similar to day one, no irregularities were found during the inspection.

See footage of the sprint below:

Stage 1 - Saturday, July 1st, 2023: Bilbao - Bilbao (-) (182 km)

The crashes involving Richard Carapaz and Enric Mas, with the latter even having to abandon the Tour altogether, marred the first day of the Tour de France. However, the stage itself went smoothly. The jury report made no mention of fines. The jury did issue a general reminder to teams that the race number should be attached to the outside of the jersey. Additionally, 73 bikes underwent mechanical fraud checks, with nine of them undergoing X-ray inspection. All bikes complied with UCI regulations.