Seven of the eight UAE Team Emirates riders at the Vuelta a España have been fined 500 Swiss Francs and docked 15 UCI points each for wearing an unauthorised jersey during the team presentation in Lisbon on Thursday. Jay Vine, who missed the presentation, is the only UAE rider to avoid the sanction, which was announced by the race jury in the communiqué published after stage 1 on Saturday evening. Directeur sportif Marco Marcato was also fined 500 Swiss Francs.
The communiqué stated that the UAE riders had been sanctioned for “Non-compliant clothing during team presentations. (Not authorised jersey by UCI) [sic].” UAE Team Emirates took to the podium at the team presentation on Thursday evening wearing a special edition kit with pink and yellow details on the chest and sleeves to mark Tadej Pogačar’s Giro d’Italia-Tour de France double.
Despite Pogačar’s absence, UAE Team Emirates have a strong chance of completing a sweep of Grand Tour victories this season, thus emulating Jumbo-Visma’s feat of a year ago. João Almeida and Adam Yates – who placed fourth and sixth overall, respectively, at the Tour – lead the UAE Team Emirates line-up at the Vuelta, where the exciting neo-professional Isaac del Toro also lines up for his Grand Tour debut.
Pogačar opted against attempting a Grand Tour treble at the Vuelta, preferring to focus on building towards the World Championships road race in Zürich on 29th September.
Although their team presentation jerseys didn’t pass muster with the commissaires, UAE Team Emirates claimed the most important garment of all on stage 1, as Brandon McNulty proved quickest on the time trial course to Oeiras, taking possession of the maillot rojo. McNulty sets out from Cascais on stage 2 with a lead of two seconds on Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) and three on dangerman Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike).
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Photo Credit: XDS Astana Team (official rider portrait)
