In 2025, the UCI will introduce a small but important change to the rules applicable to the “3 km” (or “sprint zone”) rule in stage races.

As of January 1, riders who crash and delay within this distance will no longer automatically receive the same time as the rest of the field at the finish.

Currently, in a stage race, all riders affected by a puncture, mechanical, or crash within 3km of the finish (which the UCI text specifies as “an event unrelated to the control of their bike or physical ability”) will be listed on the results sheet as and will be given the same time as the group in which that rider was riding.

What will change after January 1, 2025 is that if a crash occurs that affects only one rider and there are no other riders in that rider's group at the time, the individual riders will not benefit from this rule and the time lost as a result will not change. This means.

Importantly, if the incident that caused the delay was a puncture or mechanical in nature, the old rules will apply. Only single crashes are affected by the rule change. Rider positions on the race results sheet will also remain in the order in which they crossed the finish line, and will not be affected by any later changes (or no changes) to the time gap.

It is widely reported that the UCI's aim would be to avoid incidents like the one that happened to Primoz Roglic on stage 11 of the 2024 Tour de France. The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leader was chasing Tadej Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) and Jonas Vingegaard (Vismaris-a-Bike), although he crashed alone late in the race with Remco Evenpole (Suredal-Quick Step), who was delayed, He was then given the same time as the Belgian.

To reinforce this new rule, the UCI also announced that race organizers would need to set up equipment on banners with three kilometers to go to ensure that riders' numbers were registered at that point.

This rule will only apply to flat stages and not to summit finishes.

It appears that the UCI has not yet confirmed whether the extension of the 3 km rule to 4 or 5 km from the finish, which was tested in certain events such as this year's Tour de France and Vuelta a España, will become permanent.

The issue of what happens if a racer falls alone as a result of a puncture, mechanical or external accident also remains somewhat unclear in the new regulations.

Although this will need to be confirmed at the race, if a rider suffers a flat tire or other accident while riding alone and falls, the accident that caused the fall will be in the rider's favor.

It is not that uncommon for a puncture or crash to be combined with an event beyond the lone rider's control: in the Pyrenees stage of the 2016 Tour de France, when Adam Yates was ahead of the main group, the generator and inflatable connecting A cycling fan caught his belt on the cable, causing him to lose air and crash on a banner with one kilometer to go.

Yates was knocked unconscious by the accident and had to sit on the pavement, but was later given a time of 3 km remaining for all riders affected by the collapsed race arch. As a result, Yates moved into the top spot for the Best Young Rider award.