Giro d'Italia penalties, fines and yellow cards – One fine on stage 20
Tracking the rule infringements and penalties accrued on the road from Bulgaria to Rome
Fines and penalties have been trickling out since stage 2 of the 2026 Giro d'Italia, when the first yellow card was handed out to Christian Scaroni for celebrating his teammate Thomas Silva's victory before crossing the finish line.
There were no major penalties on stage 20 - just one given to Oliver Naesen (Decathlon CMA CGM) for urinating in public.
On stage 18, Afonso Eulálio received a yellow card for adopting a 'non-compliant' position on the bike, possibly while descending either during his chase back or attack with Kulset.
This is the fourth rider to be in danger of expulsion from the Giro d'Italia if they receive another yellow card during the race: Ludovico Crescioli (Polti VisitMalta) and Johan Price-Pejtersen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) are in the same danger, while Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana) is not as he has abandoned the race.
Aside from the yellow card, the usual fines for sticky bottles and failing to respect the commissaires' instructions were imposed.
Over three weeks and 21 stages of racing, there are plenty of chances for riders and teams to break the rules during a Grand Tour, varying from minor infractions to more serious incidents.
Penalties can be picked up for a great number of things, varying from feeding too late into the race or dropping litter outside of the designated zone, to sprint deviations and sticky bottles.
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Punishments can come in the form of cash fines, ranging from a few hundred Swiss francs or into the thousands, as well as time deductions, point deductions in certain classifications, or even disqualification for the most serious infringements.
Infractions that are considered dangerous can also earn a rider a yellow card, a system brought in a couple of years ago. If a rider or staff member receives more than one yellow card in the same race, they are disqualified and suspended for seven days. Three in 30 days earns a 14-day suspension, whilst six in a year means a 30-day suspension – though this is yet to happen.
When it comes to fines, the amount is generally deducted from a team's prize money at the end of the race, rather than riders having to pay them personally, though each team has its own system.
Penalties are handed out by the race jury and recorded in each day's communiqué.
Below, we track all penalties handed out to riders and sports directors during the 2026 Giro.
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Giro d'Italia 2026 fines, penalties and yellow cards
Stage 2
- Cristian Scaroni (XDS Astana) – yellow card for celebrating in the bunch in final sprint
- Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Premier Tech) - warning for taking off mandatory helmet during the race (for a short distance).
- Oliver Naesen (Decathlon CMA CGM) - 200CHF fine for urinating in public during the neutralised section
- Dries van Gestel (Soudal-QuickStep) - 200CHF fine for urinating in public during the neutralised section
- Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) - 200CHF fine for urinating in public during the race
- Johan Price-Pejtersen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) - 500CHF fine, -25 points from UCI rankings and yellow card for disposing of clothes in a careless or dangerous manner (added on stage 3 after rider was identified)
Stage 3
- Hartthijs de Vries (Unibet Rose Rockets) - warning for taking off mandatory helmet during the race (for a short distance)
- Max Walscheid (Lidl-Trek) - 200CHF fine for urinating in public during the neutralised section
- Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike) - 200CHF fine for urinating in public during the neutralised section
- Søjberg Rasmus Pederson (Decahlon CMA CGM) - 200CHF fine for urinating in public during the race
Stage 5
- Davide Bramati (Soudal-QuickStep, DS) - warning for a follower leaning out of a vehicle.
- Nicola Moschetti (Lidl-Trek) - 200CHF fine for non-compliance with article 2.3.025 by a team assistant during feeding
- Einer Augusto Rubio Reyes (Movistar) - 500CHF fine and -25 UCI points for rider for disposing of waste outside of litter zones
Stage 6
- Stefano Rubino (Movistar) - 500 CHF fine, failure to follow commissaire's instructions
Stage 7
- Madis Mihkels (EF Education-EasyPost) - 200CHF, sticky bottle
- Juanma Garate (EF Education-EasyPost, DS) - 500CHF, sticky bottle
- Alexis Gandia Soriano (Movistar staff), Goswin Laplasse (Visma-Lease a Bike staff) - 500 CHF, failure to follow organisers instructions
- Alessio Conforti (Pinarello-Q36.5 staff) - 200 CHF, Non-compliant feeding
- Juan Jose Lobato (Movistar staff) - 500CHF, failure to follow organisers instructions
Stage 8
- Leonardo Basso (Netcompany Ineos DS) - warning for a follower leaning out of a vehicle
- Elmar Reinders (Unibet Rose Rockets) - 500 CHF and 25 UCI ranking points, disposing of waste outside litter zone
- Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike) - 200 CHF, urinating in front of public
Stage 9
- Mirco Maestri (Team Polti-VisitMalta) - 200CHF, sticky bottle
- Giovanni Ellena (Team Polti-VisitMalta DS) - 500CHF, sticky bottle
- Christopher Juul-Jensen (Jayco-AlUla) - 500CHF fine and -25 UCI points for disposing of waste outside of litter zones
- Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Intermarché) - 200CHF, urinating in front of public
- David De La Cruz (Pinarello-Q36.5) - 500CHF, unseemly or inappropriate behaviour and damage to the image of sport
- Statement: "To respect the image of cycling and the Giro d’Italia, the Organiser and the Commissaires’ Panel inform all riders that urinating into a bottle and subsequently discarding it is strictly prohibited."
Stage 10
- Drivers Mielke Emil Vinjebo (Uno-X Mobility), Claudio Aldegheri - Yellow card, breach of guidelines concerning vehicle movements
Stage 11
- Ludovico Crescioli (Polti VisitMalta) - yellow card for non-compliant position on the bike
- Filippo Magli (Bardiani), Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek) 200CHF for sticky bottle
- Roberto Reverberi (Bardiani DS), Gregory Rast (Lidl-Trek DS) - 500CHF for giving sticky bottle
- Max Sciandri (Movistar) - 200CHF failing to follow instructions
Stage 12
- Ben Turner (Netcompany Ineos) and Ryan Mullen (NSN) - 200CHF for sticky bottle
- Dimitri Claes (NSN) and Leonardo Basso (Netcompany Ineos) - 500CHF for giving sticky bottle
Stage 13
- Franco Pellizzoti (Bahrain Victorious) - warning for leaning out of a. vehicle
Stage 14
- Ben Turner (Netcompany Ineos) - 200CHF fine for sticky bottle
- Leonardo Basso (Netcompany Ineos DS) - 500CHF fine for sticky bottle
- Mark Donovan (Pinarello-Q36.5) - 500CHF fine, -4 Red Bull points and relegation to last place in the group for deviation from the chosen line that obstructs another rider at the Red Bull KM sprint
- Shane Archibold (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe DS) - 200CHF fine and yellow card for failing to respect the instructions of the commissaires
Stage 15
- Enrico Zanoncello (Bardiani-CSF 7 Saber) - 500CHF fine, -13 points in the points classification, yellow card and disqualified for deviation from the chosen line that endangers another rider (blow from the head)
Stage 16
- Paolo Sangalli (Lidl-Trek DS) - Yellow card for breach of regulations or guidelines concerning vehicle movements during the race
- Magnus Sheffield (Netcompany Ineos) - 200CHF fine for unseemly or inappropriate behaviour (urinating in front of public during the race at km 73) and damage to the image of sport.
Stage 17
- Markel Beloki (EF Education-EasyPost) - 200CHF for sticky bottle
- Tejay van Garderen (EF Education-EasyPost) - 500CHF for sticky bottle
- Bahrain Victorious driver Nik Burjek - 500CHF for failing to follow organisers' instructions
Stage 18
- Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) - yellow card 'Using a non-compliant position or point of support on the bicycle that represents a danger to the rider or competitors.'
- Bart Lemmen (Visma-Lease a Bike) - 500CHF, -25 UCI points for disposing of waste outside litter zone
- Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike) - 200CHF fine for sticky bottle
- Jesper Mørkøv (Visma-Lease a Bike) - 500CHF for giving sticky bottle
- Team staff Dimitri Claeys (NSN) and Gorazd Štagelj (Bahrain Victorious) - 200CHF for failing to respect instructions of the commissaires
Stage 19
- Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike) - 350CHF for urinating in the urban area in the neutralized section at km-8
- Team staff Alexandr Shefer (XDS Astana) and Matteo Tosatto (Tudor) - 500CHF for irregular feeding
Stage 20
- Oliver Naesen (Decathlon CMA CGM) - 200CHF fine for urinating in public
Matilda is an NCTJ-qualified journalist based in the UK who joined Cyclingnews in March 2025. Prior to that, she worked as the Racing News Editor at GCN, and extensively as a freelancer contributing to Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Velo, Rouleur, Escape Collective, Red Bull and more. She has reported on the ground at all of the biggest events on the calendar, including the men's and women's Tours de France, the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a Espana, the Spring Classics and the World Championships. She has particular experience and expertise in women's cycling, and women's sport in general. She is a graduate of modern languages and sports journalism.
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