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Three time stage winner Tim Merlier abandons the Tour de France on mountainous stage 15
As it happened: Late crash drama and GC podium remains unchanged on stage 20 of the Tour de France
Tom Pidcock fined 400CHF, docked 20 seconds, and eight KOM points on Tour de France stage 15
Sepp Kuss hit with big fine, time loss and points deduction for littering at Tour de France
News
By
Patrick Fletcher
Published
Two infractions and two crashes on stage 20 for the US rider, who also earns prize on the podium
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As if crashing twice on the run-in to Alpe d’Huez to surrender a golden shot at a Tour de France stage win wasn’t enough, Sepp Kuss saw insult added to injury after stage 20 as he was hit with a severe punishment by the race officials.
The US climber was fined for littering, committing two infractions of the same offence on the same day.
He was fined a total of 1,500 Swiss Francs, as well as being docked 75 UCI points and one minute on the general classification of this Tour de France.
Kuss fell foul of Article 1.12.007-8.3 of the UCI’s regulations, which covers: “Rider or team staff disposing of waste or other objects outside of litter zones, or not returned to team or organisation staff, not collected by team staff, thrown at a spectator.”
The jury report for stage 20 shows two separate infringements under that offence. The first carries a fine of 500CHF and a 25-point penalty in the UCI rankings. The second infringement carries a separate, escalated punishment, with a fine of 1000CHF, a further 75 UCI points, and, newly, a GC time loss of 60 seconds.
The penalty didn’t hurt Kuss’ final standing at this Tour de France, where he is set to finish in 13th place after his near miss atop Alpe d’Huez on stage 20 still moved him up from 15th. The UCI points affect the team as well, in terms of the UCI’s teams ranking, but not to any significant degree.
After an aggressive ride with attacks on the Col de Sarenne climb to give him a solo lead with under 20km to race, even though Kuss crashed twice on descents into the final 7km, he managed to salvage third place. He was awarded the most combative rider prize for his efforts.
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The fine, meanwhile, will certainly hit Kuss pretty hard in the wallet. Add that to an unfortunate loss of a crown on his front tooth in the second week of racing, which will carry a cost as well.
The world’s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go!Find out more.
Patrick is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish) and a decade’s experience in digital sports media, largely within the world of cycling. He re-joined Cyclingnews as Deputy Editor in February 2026, having previously spent eight years on staff between 2015 and 2023. In between, he was Deputy Editor at GCN and spent 18 months working across the sports portfolio at Future before returning to the cycling press pack. Patrick works across Cyclingnews’ wide-ranging output, assisting the Editor in global content strategy, with a particular focus on shaping CN’s news operation.
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1
‘Not easy to finish on the podium being ill’ – Isaac del Toro set to bring home third place in Tour de France and clear youth classification victory despite last-week struggles
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2
‘We gambled it all on the third week’ – Richard Carapaz fights back from tough summer of recovery to claim maximum climbing honours at Tour de France
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3
Sepp Kuss hit with big fine, time loss and points deduction for littering at Tour de France
-
4
‘Proof that the disbelief in me is unfounded’ – Remco Evenepoel hits back at critics as Tour de France second place overall is all but secured
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5
‘There’s no enjoyment anymore’ – Julian Alaphilippe says this is his final Tour de France
Sepp Kuss hit with big fine, time loss and points deduction for littering at Tour de France
News
By
Patrick Fletcher
Published
Two infractions and two crashes on stage 20 for the US rider, who also earns prize on the podium
-
Facebook
-
X
-
Pinterest
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As if crashing twice on the run-in to Alpe d’Huez to surrender a golden shot at a Tour de France stage win wasn’t enough, Sepp Kuss saw insult added to injury after stage 20 as he was hit with a severe punishment by the race officials.
The US climber was fined for littering, committing two infractions of the same offence on the same day.
He was fined a total of 1,500 Swiss Francs, as well as being docked 75 UCI points and one minute on the general classification of this Tour de France.
Kuss fell foul of Article 1.12.007-8.3 of the UCI’s regulations, which covers: “Rider or team staff disposing of waste or other objects outside of litter zones, or not returned to team or organisation staff, not collected by team staff, thrown at a spectator.”
The jury report for stage 20 shows two separate infringements under that offence. The first carries a fine of 500CHF and a 25-point penalty in the UCI rankings. The second infringement carries a separate, escalated punishment, with a fine of 1000CHF, a further 75 UCI points, and, newly, a GC time loss of 60 seconds.
The penalty didn’t hurt Kuss’ final standing at this Tour de France, where he is set to finish in 13th place after his near miss atop Alpe d’Huez on stage 20 still moved him up from 15th. The UCI points affect the team as well, in terms of the UCI’s teams ranking, but not to any significant degree.
After an aggressive ride with attacks on the Col de Sarenne climb to give him a solo lead with under 20km to race, even though Kuss crashed twice on descents into the final 7km, he managed to salvage third place. He was awarded the most combative rider prize for his efforts.
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The fine, meanwhile, will certainly hit Kuss pretty hard in the wallet. Add that to an unfortunate loss of a crown on his front tooth in the second week of racing, which will carry a cost as well.
The world’s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go!Find out more.
Patrick is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish) and a decade’s experience in digital sports media, largely within the world of cycling. He re-joined Cyclingnews as Deputy Editor in February 2026, having previously spent eight years on staff between 2015 and 2023. In between, he was Deputy Editor at GCN and spent 18 months working across the sports portfolio at Future before returning to the cycling press pack. Patrick works across Cyclingnews’ wide-ranging output, assisting the Editor in global content strategy, with a particular focus on shaping CN’s news operation.
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-
1
‘Not easy to finish on the podium being ill’ – Isaac del Toro set to bring home third place in Tour de France and clear youth classification victory despite last-week struggles
-
2
‘We gambled it all on the third week’ – Richard Carapaz fights back from tough summer of recovery to claim maximum climbing honours at Tour de France
-
3
Sepp Kuss hit with big fine, time loss and points deduction for littering at Tour de France
-
4
‘Proof that the disbelief in me is unfounded’ – Remco Evenepoel hits back at critics as Tour de France second place overall is all but secured
-
5
‘There’s no enjoyment anymore’ – Julian Alaphilippe says this is his final Tour de France
Sepp Kuss hit with big fine, time loss and points deduction for littering at Tour de France
News
By
Patrick Fletcher
Published
Two infractions and two crashes on stage 20 for the US rider, who also earns prize on the podium
-
Facebook
-
X
-
Pinterest
-
Email
Follow us
As if crashing twice on the run-in to Alpe d’Huez to surrender a golden shot at a Tour de France stage win wasn’t enough, Sepp Kuss saw insult added to injury after stage 20 as he was hit with a severe punishment by the race officials.
The US climber was fined for littering, committing two infractions of the same offence on the same day.
He was fined a total of 1,500 Swiss Francs, as well as being docked 75 UCI points and one minute on the general classification of this Tour de France.
Kuss fell foul of Article 1.12.007-8.3 of the UCI’s regulations, which covers: “Rider or team staff disposing of waste or other objects outside of litter zones, or not returned to team or organisation staff, not collected by team staff, thrown at a spectator.”
The jury report for stage 20 shows two separate infringements under that offence. The first carries a fine of 500CHF and a 25-point penalty in the UCI rankings. The second infringement carries a separate, escalated punishment, with a fine of 1000CHF, a further 75 UCI points, and, newly, a GC time loss of 60 seconds.
The penalty didn’t hurt Kuss’ final standing at this Tour de France, where he is set to finish in 13th place after his near miss atop Alpe d’Huez on stage 20 still moved him up from 15th. The UCI points affect the team as well, in terms of the UCI’s teams ranking, but not to any significant degree.
After an aggressive ride with attacks on the Col de Sarenne climb to give him a solo lead with under 20km to race, even though Kuss crashed twice on descents into the final 7km, he managed to salvage third place. He was awarded the most combative rider prize for his efforts.
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The fine, meanwhile, will certainly hit Kuss pretty hard in the wallet. Add that to an unfortunate loss of a crown on his front tooth in the second week of racing, which will carry a cost as well.
The world’s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go!Find out more.
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