Harrif's kind act earns heavy UCI penalty

TSG team rider Mohd Harrif Saleh completed the Stage 6 race despite being involved in a crash during the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL).— MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star

PORT DICKSON: Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) sprinter Harrif Salleh did not expect that his simple gesture of giving a water bottle to a fan would earn him a heavy fine from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

The penalty was imposed on Harrif during Stage Five from Temerloh to Fraser’s Hill on Friday, after he was found guilty of “rider disposing of waste outside of litter zones.”

As a result, he was fined 250 Swiss Francs (RM1,312) and docked 15 points from his UCI ranking.

"I’m not sure why I was fined. Yes, I did throw the bottle, but I believe many other riders did the same because there were fans asking for them by the roadside.

"I don’t know why I was the only one penalised, but it all depends on the commissaire.

"You can see for yourself that in every race, there are always fans asking for bottles, not just from me but from other riders as well.

 

"So when I was fined for giving one to the fans, I felt quite conflicted about it," said Harrif.

 

TSG also came close to being fined during Stage Six from Shah Alam to Port Dickson when their sports director, Mohd Saiful Anuar Aziz, was cited for a “breach of regulations or guidelines concerning vehicle movements during the race or failure to comply with the instructions of commissaires and/or the organisers.”

 

Fortunately, he was let off with only a warning.

Uno-X Mobility’s sports director, Leonard Snoeks, was also issued a warning for the same offence.

Ironically, in the same stage, two riders from Uno-X Mobility and TotalEnergies were fined 250 Swiss Francs (RM1,312) each for committing the same offense as Harrif, but their identities could not be confirmed.