After the incredible weekend of racing (reporting. cross country e downhill), the UCI announced that it had inflicted 14 fines on athletes who had been registered but then did not "show up at the start". The list of runners includes the likes of Tahnee Seagrave, Tuhoto-Ariki Pene and Oisin O Callaghan.
The UCI regulations state that once a runner has been announced as a starter and fails to show up, he or she is punished with a fine of between CHF 500 and CHF 5.000. An injury or illness will be recognized as an act of force majeure only if the rider is declared unable to take the start by the UCI official doctor.
Of course it is strange to see Tahnee Seagrave fined when she is known to suffer from concussion symptoms. But in this case the fault lies with the British national team. In the press release, however, the amount of the fine is not mentioned but we think (and hope) it is the minimum required, that is 500 francs (about 500 €). A nice nest egg, since being 14 athletes are € 7000 minimum entry.
