During the final stage of the Tour of Belgium, Oscar Riesebeek received two yellow cards, after cycling on the sidewalk and bike paths that were not part of the competition track.
Now the Dutchman is suspended for seven days, and misses, among other things, the national championships.
Two yellow cards result in a seven-day suspension, and if he receives another one within 30 days, he will be suspended for an additional 14 days. Six yellow cards in a year result in a one-month suspension.
"When I look back on the race, I can understand that my behavior on the track was not only wrong, but also put my colleagues in danger. And that's something I sincerely regret," he writes via his team Alpecin-Deceuninck in a press release according to Danish Ekstrabladet.
According to the newspaper, he is the first ever to receive the suspension since the International Cycling Federation (UCI) introduced yellow cards in professional road cycling on January 1 this year.
One reason for the new rule is the ongoing discussion about safety in cycling sports.
