Fines and time penalties Vuelta a España 2024 | Cattaneo finishes the race with a 1,000-franc fine

Throwing away trash, 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 Vuelta a España, which has 21 stages. IDLProCycling keeps track of the various violations and corresponding penalties for you in this overview!

A rider can receive a penalty from the jury for several reasons. One common cause is throwing away food and water bottles. There are special zones on the course for this. If a rider does throw away his waste outside these zones, he (or the team leader responsible) can be fined for this.

Furthermore, fines are often issued for a sticky bottle. The rider preserves his energy by allowing himself to be carried by the team leader's car when handing over a water bottle. Today, riders must also pay attention to their posture on the bike. For example, the time trial position (putting wrists over the middle of the handlebars) during a stage and the "super-tuck" (sitting on the top tube in a descent) have not been allowed by the jury, for which the UCI is responsible, for several years.

Fines are not the only punishment the jury can apply. They can, for example, also hand out time penalties or deduct points regarding secondary classifications such as the points classification or the polka dot jersey. Furthermore, a rider's UCI ranking points are also unsafe in severe or repeated offenses. Thus, the more serious the violation or the more frequent a violation in a stage, the heavier the penalty. The ultimate penalty in this regard is disqualification, although it is rare.

Fines and time penalties Vuelta a España 2024

Stage 21

After two days without fines, the jury collected some penalties in the final time trial. Mattia Cattaneo from Soudal-Quick Step received a 1,000 Swiss franc fine and had 20 UCI points deducted for endangering others. He was also given a yellow card. Team directors José Vicente (Movistar) and Oscar Guerrero (Israel-Premier Tech) were fined 500 francs each for the improper positioning of their team cars during the race.

Stage 20

No fines.

Stage 19

No fines.

Stage 18

It was party time again for Equipo Kern Pharma in the Vuelta! Urko Berrade won the eighteenth stage, providing stage victory number three, following Pablo Castrillo's double earlier this round. The celebration was completed by Pau Miquel and Castrillo, who finished third and ninth in the leading group. However, the judges dampened the celebration by declassifying Miquel to place nine, the last place in the chasing group.

According to the jury, Miquel deviated from his line in his sprint for the second spot, obstructing Mauro Schmid. The Swiss rider from Jayco-AlUla still finished second, but the jury didn't care. Miquel was also fined 500 Swiss francs and deducted eight points in the points classification. Below, you can see minimal maneuvering by Miquel:

Stage 17

Two fines and yellow cards were handed out in the seventeenth stage of the Vuelta. Euskaltel mechanic Miguel Angel Quintela received 500 Swiss francs and a yellow card for dangerous behavior in the car. In contrast, Alpecin-Deceuninck rider Edward Planckaert received a yellow card, 200 Swiss francs, and a points deduction in the UCI rankings for the same offense on the bike.

Stage 16

The 16th stage in the Vuelta was, of course, dominated by the abandonment of Wout van Aert. However, much more happened. For example, classification leader Ben O'Connor was confused about where the stage ceremony was being held, so he went down the final climb by accident and had to be brought back up from the bottom. The organization punished him for that mistake, deducting 1,000 Swiss francs, his prize money for the day, and 20 UCI points.

Nico Denz of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe was fined 200 francs for a sticky water bottle, even fining team leader Patxi Vila 500 francs. Denz received 200 francs for pushing himself off the team car and the sticky bottle. As a result, he also lost 15 UCI points, 3 points for the green jersey, 4 for the mountain classification, and he received a 10-second time penalty.

Finally, Pello Olaberria - team manager at Euskaltel-Euskadi - was fined 500 francs for not following the rules for team cars.

Stage 15

Chaos on day fifteen, as the jury took firm action against Primoz Roglic. The Slovenian switched bikes in the final stages and then hung onto the team car with his teammates for a moment. The jury imposed a 20-second time penalty on him, Roger Adria and Daniel Felipe Martínez in the general classification. In addition, they all lose 15 points on the UCI ranking and 4 points in both the points and mountain classifications. Each rider was also fined 200 Swiss francs. Team boss Shane Archbold was slapped with a fine of 500 Swiss francs.

But that wasn’t all, as more penalties were handed out. Marco Marcato (UAE) and Archbold again (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) did not adhere to the rules in the car and were fined 1,000 francs and given a yellow card. Martínez also received another fine of 200 francs for a sticky bottle, as did team director Patxi Vila, who was fined 500 francs. The same penalty was given to Israel-Premier Tech for rider Michael Woods and team director Oscar Guerrero.

Mikel Landa (Soudal-Quick Step) and Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) urinated in view of the public and received a 200-franc fine.

Stage 14

Hey, Steven! Please dispose of your waste correctly! Steven Kruijswijk threw something on the ground on Saturday in the fourteenth Vuelta stage, in a place where it was not allowed. With 500 Swiss francs and 25 UCI points deductions, the penalty was pretty hefty for the Visma | Lease a Bike Dutchman.

The jury report also included two more fines for rider Nadav Raisberg and team manager Oscar Guerrero of Israel-Premier Tech. Both men were guilty “for a short distance” of carrying a sticky bottle to the car. Nadav was fined 200 francs, his team manager even 500 francs.

Stage 13

On day thirteen, fines were also handed out. UAE sports director Marco Marcato received a yellow card for letting one of his mechanics hang out of the car, while Julius van den Berg was fined 400 Swiss francs for a sticky bottle. Sport director Phil West received 500 Swiss francs.

Stage 12

A rest day for the GC riders, but not for the jury. In the breakaway group of ten, guys were pushing the limits on day twelve of the Vuelta. Mauro Schmid and Jhonatan Narváez both adopted a "dangerous position" on the bike, for which they each received a yellow card. Marc Soler was also penalized — and not for the first time in this race. The Spaniard riding for UAE-Team Emirates did not follow the organization’s instructions after the finish and was fined 300 Swiss francs. Nadav Raisberg of Israel-Premier Tech was fined 500 francs and received a yellow card for littering outside the designated areas.

Stage 11

Well, the UCI referees sure had a busy day. No fewer than seven (!) yellow cards were handed out during the eleventh stage. Decathlon AG2R riders Victor Lafay, Geoffrey Bouchard and Bruno Armirail received yellow cards for blocking the road. Team director Cyril Dessel was also penalized, while Lafay, as the 'culprit' for the crash of Richard Carapaz, was additionally fined 500 Swiss francs. Sander De Pestel and sports director Dessel also had to pay 200 Swiss francs each for a sticky bottle.

Victor Campenaerts and Txomin Juaristi were also given yellow cards for adopting a position on the bike that could endanger other riders. Finally, Astana team director Alexandr Shefer received a yellow card and a 1,000 Swiss franc fine for hanging out of his car to provide assistance to a rider.

Stage 10

After everyone had calmed down a bit on the first rest day, the jury had a quiet day on stage ten of the Vuelta. Marc Soler received a 200 Swiss franc fine for his incident involving a sticky bottle, and his sports director, Manuele Mori, was fined 500 francs for the same. Additionally, a Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale staff member showed no respect for the rules, resulting in a 200 franc fine for team manager Cyril Dessers.

Stage 9

The jury had a busy day on Sunday. In the final mountain stage before the rest day, they felt compelled to penalize no less than thirteen riders and staff members. It was an extremely tough day, which likely contributed to the riders' behavior. Ten of the penalties were issued for the infamous 'sticky bottle' offense. Pelayo Sanchez (Movistar Team), Xabier Berastegi (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Michael Woods, and Corbin Strong (both Israel-Premier Tech) received fines of 200 Swiss Francs each, as did team managers José Vicente Garcia, Jorge Asanza Soto, and Oscar Guerrero. Guerrero and Strong, both from Israel-Premier Tech, were fined twice for this offense. Rene Andrle, also from the Israeli team, received a 500 Franc fine and an official UCI yellow card.

Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) faced a severe penalty for improperly discarding waste. The Colombian was fined 500 Swiss Francs and had 25 UCI points deducted. Team managers Pieter Weening (Jayco AlUla) and Gorka Guerricagoitia (Cofidis) were also fined 200 Swiss Francs each for not following the rules during feeding.

Stage 8

In stage eight, Casper Pedersen was penalized for a 'sticky bottle' offense. The Dane from Soudal Quick-Step held onto a drink bottle, handed to him by team manager Iljo Keisse, for too long and benefited from the car's speed. This is not allowed, and thus Pedersen received a fine of 200 Swiss Francs. Keisse also received a penalty: he was required to pay 500 Swiss Francs to the UCI.

Stage 7

The jury issued three fines during the seventh stage of the Tour of Spain. All three cases involved the disposal of waste outside the designated zone. Brandon Rivera (INEOS Grenadiers) was caught in the act and must pay a fine of 500 Swiss francs and will have 25 UCI points deducted. In the other cases, the identity of the rider was unclear, so the team directors were fined instead. This involved Kim Andersen (Lidl-Trek) and Marco Marcato (UAE Team Emirates), who each have to pay 500 Swiss francs.

Stage 6

In stage six, quite a few fines were handed out. Enric Mas (Movistar) and Bruno Armiral (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) each had to pay 200 Swiss francs for urinating in an inappropriate location. Gijs Leemreize (dsm-firmenich PostNL) received a fine of 500 Swiss francs and a deduction of 25 UCI points for littering during his day in the early breakaway, as did Thibault Guernalec of Arkéa - B&B Hotels.

The French team also had to pay an additional 200 Swiss francs for an incident with a so-called sticky bottle, while Patxi Vila (team director of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) was fined a hefty 1,000 Swiss francs for his riders' littering.

Stage 5

Here it is, the first yellow card in this Vuelta a España. Issued to James Knox of T-Rex Quick-Step for improper and dangerous behavior towards spectators. The Brit also has to pay 200 Swiss francs and loses ten UCI points.

Stage 4

The Spanish team directors seem slow to learn. In stage four, Euskaltel-Euskadi team director Jorge Azanza Soto was fined 500 Swiss francs for providing supplies in a location where it is not allowed.

Stage 3

No fines for riders, but there was one for a staff member. Mikel Ezkieta, assistant team director at Equipo Kern Pharma, broke the rules while providing food for his team. It’s unclear exactly what the 30-year-old Spaniard did wrong, but it is clear that he has to pay 200 Swiss francs to the UCI.

Stage 2

No fines on day two!

Stage 1

A remarkable revelation in the jury report of the first day of the Vuelta a España, the entire UAE Team Emirates selection was fined for wearing other clothing than their usual jersey during the team presentation. The UCI and organization could not appreciate it and handed out a hefty penalty: 500 Swiss francs fine and 15 UCI points deduction per rider. Fortunately for the riders, they all have plenty of UCI points and an employer with infinitely deep pockets. One UAE rider got off with a scare, Jay Vine. He was thinking of something much more important: the birth of his first child.