The ninth and final day of racing at this year's Giro d'Italia Women had three yellow cards handed out, and all going to AG Insurance Soudal. Across the Grand Tour, the jury included seven yellow cards with various fines and penalties, with AG Insurance raking in five total.
Rider Urška Žigart, who finished eighth on GC, was penalised 100 CHF plus 20 seconds, 5 points in the UCI rankings with her first yellow card of the week, for sheltering behind, or taking advantage of the slipstream, of a vehicle. Her team director Danielle Christmas and the driver of the car, Michel Geerinck, were also penalised by the jury for same infraction, which were second yellow cards for each in the same race.
Stage 8 had no penalties following hefty fines of 1,000 CHF onto three sports directors on stage 7 for failing to follow organisers' instructions. The fine was on the high end of the range and came with a yellow card for each DS as well as relegation to the back of the convoy for AG Insurance-Soudal and St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93.
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The move comes after two riders were ejected from race for getting a tow and six riders fined for urinating in public during stage 5.
It was Continental riders, Argyro Milaki (Aromitalia Vaiano) and Anita Baima (Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria) who had their race cut short by the disqualification and they were also handed fines, docked UCI points and given yellow cards for holding onto team cars during the demanding mountain stage. Isolmant sport director Manel Lacambra was also fined, given a yellow card and ejected from the race.
The UCI has strict rules surrounding assistance from team cars, with riders being fined for holding onto bidons ('sticky bottles'). Riders can also be fined for drafting behind a vehicle, but disqualification only comes for multiple offences.
Holding onto a team car or other vehicle is a far more serious offence that comes with a mandatory fine, UCI point penalty and disqualification. The yellow card is optional.
These are just the latest round of sanctions in an event which started with the controversial disqualification of Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) due to the weight of her bike after she had sprinted to victory on stage 1 and collected the race leader's jersey.
With hours of racing every day for nine days, the Grand Tours often see many penalties handed out, which are all listed in the race jury's communiqué after each stage.
These can be for things as simple as dropping litter outside of the designated zone, or as serious as riding dangerously in a sprint. Punishments can range from small fines and point or time deductions to yellow cards or in very serious cases, disqualification.
Penalties can be given to riders and staff alike, and to other members of the race convoy, though here we will just track riders and team staff.
Yellow cards can also be handed out alongside penalties, and if you get more than one in the same race, you are disqualified and suspended for seven days. Three in 30 days equals a 14 day suspension, and six in a year means a 30-day suspension.
Here is our list of all the penalties incurred so far during this year's Giro d'Italia Women.
Giro d'Italia Women 2026 penalties
Stage 1
- Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-ProTime) - DSQ, bike under UCI weight limit
- Danny Stam (SD Worx-ProTime) - 500CHF, bike under UCI weight limit
Stage 2
- Davide Gani (Picnic-PostNL DS) - 500CHF for failing to follow commissaires' instructions
Stage 3
- Millie Couzens (Fenix-Premier Tech) - CHF 200 fine, yellow card, and 25% penalty in the points classification and relegation to last place in the rider’s group for deviation from the chosen line that obstructs or endangers another rider or irregular sprint
- Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM) - 100 CHF fine for unseemly or inappropriate behaviour and damage to the image of sport
- Yulia Biriukova, Tiril Jorgensen (Laboral Kutxa - Fundacion Euskadi) - CHF 100 fine each for unseemly or inappropriate behaviour (in particular undressing or urinating in public at the start or finish or during the race) and damage to the image of sport
Stage 4
- Carmen Small (EF Education-Oatly DS) - 200CHF for failing to follow commissaires' instructions
Stage 5
- Argiro Milaki (Aromitalia Vaiano) and Anita Baima (Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria) - CHF 200 fine, 50 points from UCI rankings, disqualification and yellow card to each rider for holding on to own team vehicle, or vehicle of another team. Plus CHF 200 fine, exclusion and yellow card for Isolmant Premac Vittoria DS Manel Lacambra Cuixart
- Célia Gery, Ally Wollaston (FDJ United-Suez), Niamh Fisher-Black, Elisa Balsamo, Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) and Silke Smulders (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) - 100CHF for public urination
- Laboral Kutxa Fundacion Euskadi staff Ainara Sanz Val-Romero - 200CHF for failing to follow instructions of organiser
Stage 6
- Luis Pardal (Movistar), João Salgado (Uno-X Mobility) team staff - 200CHF for failing to respect organisers' instructions
- Lars Boom (FDJ United-Suez DS) - 250CHF for unidentified rider disposing of waste outside designated zones
Stage 7
- Michel Geerink, Danielle Christmas (AG Insurance-Soudal DS) - 1,000 CHF fine, yellow card, relegation to last place in the convoy for 'breach of regulations or guidelines concerning vehicle movements during the race or failure to comply with the instructions of the organisation'
- Leonard Cosnier (St. Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 DS) - 1,000 CHF fine, yellow card, relegation to second to last place in the convoy
Stage 8
Stage 9
- Urška Žigart (AG Insurance-Soudal) - 100CHF, yellow card, 20% penalty in the points (3pts) and mountains classifications (4pts), 20” penalty, 5 points from UCI rankings for sheltering behind or taking advantage of the slipstream of a vehicle.
- Michel Geerink (driver), Danielle Christmas (AG Insurance-Soudal DS) - 200 CHF fine, yellow card
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