🎥 Spanish revelation receives yellow card for shoving Vermeersch, teammate also penalized in Oman

Movistar ended the past week two yellow cards richer. The Spanish team saw revelation Iván Roméo penalized the day after his stage win in the Tour of Valencia, while Portuguese teammate Ruben Guerreiro was also punished in Oman. As a result, both riders are now on notice and will have to be more careful in future races.

First up was Roméo, the young Spanish talent who impressed with his victory in Stage 3 of the Tour of Valencia. The following day, teammate Jefferson Cepeda launched a late attack, and Roméo attempted to block Lidl-Trek’s chase multiple times. Meanwhile, riders were also positioning themselves for the final climb, where Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was trying to get onto the wheel of Jonathan Milan.

The Belgian rider moved in from the left to tuck in behind the Italian sprinter, but Roméo also wanted that spot. In a moment clearly visible on TV footage, the Spaniard forcefully bumped Vermeersch, sending him off the road and onto the grass. Thanks to his cyclo-cross skills, Vermeersch managed to stay upright, but his chance for a good result was gone. Race officials issued Roméo a yellow card, fined him 200 Swiss francs, and deducted UCI points as further punishment.

Read more below the video!

Guerreiro found responsible for one of the crashes in the Tour of Oman

In the Middle East, another Movistar rider was penalized. Portuguese cyclist Ruben Guerreiro was one of the many riders involved in crashes during the chaotic finale of Stage 2 of the Tour of Oman, which was won by Louis Vervaeke. After the race, Guerreiro was deemed the indirect cause of one of the crashes. The 30-year-old rider escaped with only abrasions, but he has now been placed on the UCI’s watchlist of riders under scrutiny.

Guerreiro and Iván Roméo are now the second and third WorldTour riders to receive yellow cards under the new disciplinary system. The rider with the dubious honor of being penalized first, is Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) in the Tour Down Under, after an irregular sprint.

For now, these riders have not yet faced serious consequences. However, if they receive two more yellow cards within the next month, they will be suspended for 14 days. If a rider accumulates six yellow cards within a year, they risk a 30-day suspension. The complete list of yellow card penalties can be found on the UCI’s official website.

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