The UCI handed out its first suspension of the 2026 season for repeated safety rule violations, giving UAE Team Emirates-XRG's directeur sportif Fabrizio Guidi a seven-day ban for two yellow cards earned at the Tour Down Under last week.
While guiding the team to the overall victory with Jay Vine, Guidi, 53, was found to have violated UCI rules article XII 2.12.007 6.3 for "Breach of regulations or guidelines concerning vehicle movements during the race or failure to comply with the instructions of commissaires and/or the organisation" during stage 2 and stage 5 of the Tour Down Under.
The UCI's yellow card rules (2.12.007ter) state, "In case a licence-holder receives 2 yellow cards during the same event, they shall be excluded (in case of a stage race) from the event and be suspended for a period of 7 days."
However, because the suspension ends before the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, Guidi will still be able to be in the team car for the WorldTour one-day race on Sunday.
The Italian will have to be careful, however, because he is at risk for another suspension if he receives another yellow card.
Under the rules, anyone with three yellow cards in 30 days is suspended for 14 days, and six yellow cards over 12 months will end in a 30-day suspension.
The yellow card system was introduced after a trial period in 2024, but in a whole season of racing, only two UCI licence holders were issued suspensions for multiple violations: Media moto driver Joseba Etxaburu earned two yellow cards during the Vuelta España Femenina, and Alpecin-Deceuninck rider Oscar Riesebeek was banned for a week after offences during the Baloise Belgium Tour.
Elsewhere, Tord Gudmestad became the first rider to be shown a yellow card during the 2026 season after sitting up to celebrate Decathlon CMA CGM teammate Tobias Lund Andresen's victory on stage 1 of the Tour Down Under.
