After finishing second in a close sprint after a crash-hit lead out at Classic Brugge-De Panne, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) was handed a yellow card by the UCI race jury and 500CHF fine. Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) was also punished in the same way for "obstruction by a rider in order to prevent or delay the movement of another rider".
Milan was not relegated in the sprint because the 'obstruction' came before the sprint unfolded. The Lidl-Trek rider was seen using his head to push the Uno-X Mobility rider aside, who had knocked into him with his shoulders, at around 1.5km to go.
The sprint finish was dramatically reduced by a series of crashes during the run to the line, the last coming with just over one kilometre to go after the road split as the pace and tension was high as teams positioned for the leadout. Kristoff was among the riders that came down in that crash.
The disruption meant only a small group came to the line and Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) launched his sprint early, getting a considerable gap. Milan closed quickly and almost caught Molano on the line.
Michael Schwarzmann (Israel-Premier Tech) was also given a yellow card, with the reason cited in the race communique being: "Rider decelerating and endangering other riders (knowingly staying within the line of other riders)."
The yellow card system for safety violations was trialled in 2024 and then introduced at the start of 2025 as part of measures targeting improved safety within the peloton.
Suspension is on the table for those with multiple cards within set periods. Two yellow cards during the same event leads to disqualification and suspension for seven days and the penalty for three cards in 30 days is a 14-day suspension. Six cards over a 52-week period can lead to a 30-day suspension.
Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) also was handed a yellow card this week at Volta a Catalunya, making it his second after receiving one at the start of this month for an early celebration of his teammate's win at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne.
Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) is the only other rider who has received two yellow cards so far this year.
Geen declassering, wel een gele kaart voor Jonathan Milan na kopstoot in sprintvoorbereiding https://t.co/C9j5pebN0JMarch 26, 2025
