Fines and time penalties Giro d'Italia 2025 | Jury doesn't hand out penalties, but Kruijswijk does

There are different types of violations in the cycling peloton. These include sticky bottles, improper waste disposal, urinating in full view of the public, accepting food in the race's final stages, dangerous riding, drafting behind a car, verbal abuse, physical contact with an opponent, and so on. The jury can impose penalties in various ways, ranging from a warning (e.g., a yellow card) to disqualification.

The parade in Rome went very smoothly, and the organizers will have turned a blind eye to the occasional sticky bottle. No one was penalized except for a rider from Groupama-FDJ, who was called back by Steven Kruijswijk during his attack. The unwritten rule is that the team of the Giro winner is allowed to ride at the front during the first lap, so that breakaway came too early.

The final mountain stage had a lot going on, but no fines or other penalties were handed out in the twentieth stage over the Colle delle Finestre, although UAE Team Emirates—XRG may have to serve a penalty lap.

Three riders were given a penalty in the nineteenth stage of the Giro d'Italia. Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty), Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek), and Damien Howson (Q36.5) were each fined 200 Swiss francs for the notorious ‘sticky bottle,’ i.e., holding on to a water bottle for too long. Their sports directors (who had to pay 500 francs) were also penalized. Still, winner Nicolas Prodhomme, who took several drinks in the final, apparently did just enough to avoid the same punishment.

For Intermarché sports director Dimitri Claeys, the fine was not the only penalty, as he also had to pay 500 francs for a 'breach of the regulations regarding vehicle movements during the race and not following the instructions of the commissaries.' This means that the Belgian will have to pay a total of 1,000 francs. Jesus Hernandez Blazques, sports director of Polti VisitMalta, was also fined 500 francs for the same reasons.

While the riders and almost all staff members behaved appropriately during the eighteenth stage of the Giro d'Italia, one member of the Israel-Premier Tech team did not. Elvi Fumagelli, a member of the Israel-Premier Tech medical staff, went against the race organizers' instructions, and it cost him dearly. Fumagelli was fined 500 Swiss francs and can no longer act as a driver in the final stages. The car itself has also been banned from the rest of the Giro.

Lidl-Trek had to pay the price at the end of the seventeenth stage. Rider Mathias Vacek was fined 500 Swiss francs and deducted 25 UCI points for throwing rubbish where it is not allowed, while sports director Michael Schär received a yellow card and a 500 Swiss franc fine for dangerous riding. Footage showed him trying to overtake the GC contenders on the steepest sections of the Mortirolo.

In the chaotic sixteenth stage, not the riders but mainly the sports directors and assistants were penalized. Mechanics from Cofidis and Q36.5 were fined 500 Swiss francs and given a yellow card for providing unauthorized assistance from the car. For sports director Gorka Guerricagoitia (Cofidis) and Kurt Bogaerts (Q36.5), the fine was twice as high, and they also received a yellow card.

Groupama-FDJ and EF Education-EasyPost both saw a team member receive a yellow card and a fine of 200 Swiss francs for not behaving correctly in the feed zone. David McPartland, sports director of Jayco AlUla, received a warning for driving his car in the wrong direction on the course, while a photographer also received a yellow card for an ‘incorrect move’ during the race.

Lidl-Trek won the fifteenth stage once again. Carlos Verona was the lucky winner this time, although he was fined for throwing away a bidon outside the permitted zone with a team car close by. In addition to a fine of 500 Swiss francs, he also had 25 UCI points deducted.

Two riders were caught urinating in front of the public during the stage. This inappropriate behavior was observed in Patrick Konrad (also Lidl-Trek) and Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike). Fine: 200 Swiss francs.

In its statement after the stage, where fifty bikes were checked for mechanical doping, the jury also stated that sports director Roberto Reverberi of Bardiani had not complied with the rules. The Italian will receive a fine of 200 Swiss francs for breaking the rules, after the team had already received a warning.

Damiano Caruso received a yellow card for a striking incident involving Dylan van Baarle. The experienced Italian from Bahrain Victorious threw away his jacket and accidentally hit the glasses of the Visma | Lease a Bike rider, causing them to nearly fall off. Caruso was also docked 25 UCI points and fined 500 Swiss francs. Team directors Tullio Pellicioli and Pieter Weening (Jayco AlUla) were fined a combined 1,500 Swiss francs for hanging out of the team car.

It was already tricky for Kaden Groves of Alpecin-Deceuninck to finish high in the points classification, but after the thirteenth stage, it is now completely out of reach. The Aussie lost 10 of his 38 points in the points classification after the stage for accepting refreshments in the last 20 kilometers, where this was no longer allowed. He also received a 20-second time penalty and a 500 Swiss franc fine, while sports director Gianni Meersman has to pay 1,000 Swiss francs.

Brandon McNulty (UAE Emirates-XRG) was fined 200 Swiss francs for urinating.

A friendly roadside Coke turned out to be a costly mistake for Giosuè Epis of Arkéa B&B Hotels. Riding in the day’s breakaway in his home region, he accepted a can of soda from a friend along the course. But the race jury was not amused. Taking food or drink from a spectator outside the official feed zone is strictly prohibited. Epis was fined 500 Swiss francs and penalized with the loss of two mountain points, ten points in the points classification and twenty seconds.

Gorazd Stangelj, sports director at Bahrain Victorious, was also fined 500 Swiss francs after one of his riders discarded a bottle improperly.

The UCI's cash box got a boost after stage 11. Brandon Rivera and his INEOS sports director Zak Dempster were fined a combined 700 Swiss francs for handing out food outside the designated zone. Tom Pidcock was hit with a 500 Swiss franc fine and docked 25 UCI points for throwing away a bottle in a non-authorized area. Team directors Maxime Monfort (Lidl-Trek), Alexander Shefer (XDS-Astana), and Roberto Reverberi (VF Group-Bardiani) received warnings for dangerous driving.

After a disciplined weekend, several team directors were hit with fines during the second time trial of the race. Matthew Winston (Picnic PostNL), David McPartland (Jayco AlUla), Thierry Bricaud (EF Education-EasyPost), Alexandr Shefer (XDS–Astana), and Gabriele Missaglia (Q36.5) were each fined 500 Swiss francs for failing to comply with the vehicle regulations. Mountains jersey holder Lorenzo Fortunato (Astana) received a 200 Swiss franc fine for not maintaining proper distance behind another rider.

Two stages in a row without a single fine or time penalty. This is perhaps even more remarkable than the previous day, as it was a completely chaotic day on the gravel roads of Tuscany!

Like stage five, stage eight was also a day without any incidents. And that was quite remarkable, considering the riders turned it into an incredibly hard race. Nevertheless, the jury had nothing to report afterwards.

Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek) received a fine of 200 Swiss francs for urinating in public, while three team directors were reprimanded for hanging out of the car window: Fabio Baldato (UAE), Alexander Shefer (Astana), and Maximilian Sciandri of Movistar.

Only Matteo Moschetti was sanctioned for obstructing Olav Kooij in the final sprint. The Q36.5 rider received a 500 Swiss franc fine and lost 13 points in the points classification.

Stage 5, Wednesday, May 14: Ceglie Messapica - Matera (151 kilometers)

A first: not a single rider, sports director, or motorcyclist committed a violation in the difficult fifth stage of the Giro d'Italia. After the fourth stage, full of fines, the organization reported nulla da segnalare: nothing to report.  

A small correction from the jury regarding Sunday: it was not Darren Rafferty but Kasper Asgreen (EF Education EasyPost) who was penalized for tossing a bidon. He receives a 500 Swiss franc fine, a deduction of 25 UCI points, and a yellow card. No bottle tossers in stage 4, but there were nature breaks in the wrong spots. Quinten Hermans (Alpecin Deceuninck), Jan Maas (Cofidis), and Milan Vader (Q36.5) were each fined 200 francs for public urination.

Picnic celebrated Casper van Uden's stage win, but his lead-out man, Bram Welten, wasn't so lucky. According to the jury's verdict, he slowed down during the sprint and endangered others; the penalty was a yellow card. There was good news for Italian Lorenzo Germani of Groupama-FDJ, who suffered a flat tire in the last 5 kilometers of the stage but was given the same time as the winner by the jury.

The most important and most remarkable penalty was for Max Kanter of XDS Astana. The German finished fifth in the sprint but was quickly relegated for a shoulder push on Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek). Kanter was also fined 500 francs, deducted 13 points in the points classification, and given a yellow card. Astana responded fiercely in an official statement via sports director Alexandr Shefer: "In our view, Max sprinted safely and in line with the actions of other riders in the group."

"Relegation and a yellow card is way too much," the statement continued. "If we begin to penalize such moments, then we also need to start evaluating rider behavior not only in the final meters but throughout the last 10 or 5 kilometers. Today this happened to our team, tomorrow it could be any other. It’s disappointing news for us."

Once again, a Bardiani rider has crossed the line. This time, it was Martin Marcellusi. The Italian used his shoulders a bit too aggressively in the run-up to the sprint and was penalized. A costly mistake — he initially finished eighth in the sprint but was relegated to the last place in his group (85th). In addition, he received a yellow card, a fine of 500 Swiss francs, and a deduction of seven points in the points classification.

Two riders carelessly tossed their bottles during the stage, causing them to bounce back onto the road. Darren Rafferty (EF Education-EasyPost) and Ben Turner (INEOS Grenadiers) were each fined 500 Swiss francs and lost 25 UCI points. Rafferty even received a yellow card for the incident.

And we’re not done yet: Arnaud Gérard (staff member at Arkéa-B&B Hotels) handed out supplies outside of the designated feed zone and, as a result, he was also mentioned in the jury's communications. The Frenchman must pay a 500 Swiss franc fine. Finally, Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), who was active in the breakaway during this stage, has received a warning pertaining to his riding position.

Almost no riders broke the rules on day 2 of the Giro d’Italia, but the jury definitely had their hands full with the team cars following behind. Alexandr Shefer (XDS Astana) was fined 500 Swiss francs for not stopping when his rider was being overtaken, while Roberto Reverberi (Bardiani) received the same fine for an improper departure at the finish.

The only rider mentioned in the jury report is Enrico Zanoncello, also from Bardiani. The Italian failed to maintain the required distance from the rider ahead of him (in other words, he likely caught a bit of a draft from someone overtaking) and was issued a warning.

On the first day, the jury had to intervene several times. For example, number 4 in the day's results, Francesco Busatto (Intermarché-Wanty), was accused of an 'irregular sprint.' The 22-year-old Italian, who also wears the white youth jersey thanks to his result, is accused of hitting two riders in the sprint with his elbow and his head. He was only given a yellow card and was not disqualified, allowing him to keep his stage result and white jersey.

At Bahrain Victorious, sports director Gorazd Stangelj was the first to be penalized for failing to comply with the rules applicable to team cars. As the person ultimately responsible for car 218, Stangelj was fined 500 Swiss francs, or 534.50 euros.