What are the feeding and team vehicle rules in a road stage race?

Question

Accepted Answer

From the 2026 AusCycling Road Technical Regulations, stage race section:

Where: riders may receive food only in areas set aside for feeding (5.18.01). Feeding is done on foot by team staff only, standing at most one metre from the side of the road and on one side only (5.18.03 and 5.18.04).
When: no refreshments on hill climbs and descents, or during the first 30km and final 20km of a stage (5.18.09). The PCP may reduce those distances depending on conditions, category, type and length of the stage, and must tell all team managers and riders before the start (5.18.10 and 5.18.11).
From vehicles: riders drop back to level with their team manager's vehicle or neutral spares to be handed refreshments. The vehicle keeps its position behind the PCP or other commissaire vehicles, never in or behind the bunch (5.18.07). If a breakaway group is 15 riders or fewer, refreshments may be supplied to the rear of that group with the permission of the commissaire with that group (5.18.08).
Waste: each feeding zone should have a waste zone just before and just after it (5.18.05).
Service: all service to riders happens on the left-hand side of the road (5.00.20). A rider may receive assistance and mechanical checks only at the rear of their bunch and when stationary. Greasing chains from a moving vehicle is forbidden (5.00.21).
Support vehicles: each team has one support vehicle in the convoy, under the control of the PCP. An unauthorised vehicle following the race makes the rider it follows liable to a penalty (5.00.17).

The General Technical Regulations list unauthorised refreshments as F $50 in the first 30km, and F $100 (and possibly disqualification) in the last 20km of a one-day race.