Patrick Lefevere lashes out at UCI after Julian Alaphilippe fined for briefly removing helmet

Patrick Lefevere had some words for the UCI after his rider Julian Alaphilippe was fined for removing his helmet during the fourth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. The former world champion received a 500 Swiss franc penalty for taking his lid off as he was removing a base layer mid-race.

“I’m not saying the UCI should applaud when a rider takes off his helmet, we shouldn’t downplay safety, but should the federation also impose a fine on itself if a bollard suddenly becomes apparent in the road in the last kilometre of Paris-Nice? I didn’t see that in the official communiqué,” he said in Het Nieuwsblad.

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“There’s wind in Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico, but I notice that it is also raining. The fines from the UCI are falling out of the blue this year,” Lefevere wrote. The UCI’s rules say that a rider who removes their helmet during a race can either receive a fine, or be disqualified.

You can watch the Frenchman’s costume change below.

Julian Alaphilippe tem essa categoria aqui… #TirrenoAdriatico pic.twitter.com/xSdbQznQbR

— BikeBlz (@BikeBlz) March 10, 2023