The UCI has withdrawn its decision to impose a 20-second time penalty on six riders who briefly traveled on the sidewalk during the Tirreno-Adriatico stage 6. The time penalties were a double blow, significantly altering the overall top 10 and affecting the race's final UCI ranking points.

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EasyPost), Mikel Landa (Bahrain-Victorias), Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Mike Teunissen, and Georg Zimmerman (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) were disciplined after Saturday's stage 6 Osimo for "use of sidewalks/pavements, paths, or cycle lanes not included in the race route."

Photographers and broadcasters captured the moment on the final climb to the finish when several riders cut inside the bollards in search of a smoother surface; whether the UCI jury used the relatively new VAR (video assistant referee) to identify and punish the riders is It is unclear.

The rider was fined 500 Swiss francs, 25 UCI ranking points, 14 points for points and 20 points for mountains.

They were also given a 20-second time penalty for their overall ranking. However, this was a double punishment for Landa and Carty, who were demoted in the final overall standings. Landa dropped from 7th to 10th overall, and Karthy dropped from 8th to 11th overall. In addition, Landa will lose 65 UCI ranking points and Kersee will lose 55 UCI ranking points.

The team fought to gain all UCI ranking points during the 2022 season to avoid relegation from the World Tour.

The UCI eventually withdrew the time punishment before the start of stage 7 on Sunday morning, but that decision was not made public. Cycling News first learned of the decision when it contacted race organizer RCS Sport, which informed the UCI of the team's change of heart over the race radio early in the stage, with Landa finishing seventh and Kersee eighth.

There is growing concern among the peloton and race organizers that the UCI lacks balance and understanding when it comes to applying rules and dispensing with them.

Patrick Lefebvre, team manager of Soudal-Quick Step, said that after Julien Alaphilippe was sanctioned by the UCI for temporarily removing his helmet after taking off his base layer on stage 4 of Tirreno-Adriatico, the UCI suggested that it was probably "lack of funds".

"Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico are windy, but if you notice, it's also raining. The fines from the UCI are out of the blue this year," Lefebvre wrote in his weekly column in the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.