Belgian Federation proposes introduction of red and yellow cards

The President of the Belgian Cycling Federation Tom Van Damme has stated that he wants the UCI to introduce football style red and yellow cards in order to improve safety within the peloton.

Following a crash marred Tour of Flanders, Van Damme suggested the adoption of the system used in football and rugby to punish players for comitting fouls could improve riders' discipline and lead to fewer crashes. At Flanders, Garmin Sharp's Johan Vansummeren collided with an elderly women who suffered life-threatening injuries from the impact.

"The introduction of a system of red and yellow cards, like in football," Van Damme said.

"Even though in cycling not everything is filmed and we can't see everything. But if riders were more disciplined, there would be fewer accidents."

The UCI introduced a new rule in 2014 that banned cyclists from riding on bike paths or footpaths in order to improve safety which has been criticised for inconsistent rulings during the Classics this season.

 

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