The Tour de Romandie Féminin is now in full swing in the Romandie region of Switzerland. Many athletes were hoping to compete in the challenging, yet rewarding, three-stage race, which is scheduled to end on Aug. 17.
Unfortunately for the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and multiple teams that were planning to participate in the race, things took a negative turn after several teams were disqualified, including those from the famed Team Visma – Lease a Bike. The disqualification occurred after the teams failed to comply with rules set by the UCI. Now stuck in a frustrating dispute, professional cyclists have faced disqualification, creating even more tension.
As the UCI explained in a press release, “Teams were required to designate one rider on whose bike the GPS tracker would be fixed. Teams were given further explanations during the Sport Directors’ pre-event meeting. The UCI regrets that certain teams have objected to the test by not nominating a rider to carry the tracking device and have, therewith, opted to be excluded from the Tour de Romandie Féminin. Given this situation, the UCI shall consider if other measures are warranted following the UCI Regulations.”
According to the press release, this technology will also be used at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda. All participating athletes will be expected to carry the tracking devices, which are designed to improve overall race safety. The organization states that this was an ideal race for the test, as it includes an individual time trial, a point-to-point, and a circuit format.
The Five Disqualified Teams include:
– Canyon//Sram zondacrypto
– EF Education – Oatly
– Lidl – Trek
– Team Picnic PostNL
– Team Visma – Lease a Bike
Team Visma – Lease a bike shared a release, stating, “Despite our cooperation and the existence of a proven and collaborative safety tracking system already tested successfully in other major races (fully operational for the peleton and offered to the UCI), the UCI has chosen to impose this measure without clear consent, threaten disqualification, and now exclude us from the race for not selecting a rider ourselves. The reason why they don’t want to nominate a rider themselves is still unknown and unanswered.”
“This action disregards the rights of teams and riders, applies the measure in a discriminatory manner, and contradicts the UCI’s own stated commitment to dialogue with stakeholders,” the team further expressed.
As tension continues to rise, the UCI and the disqualified teams have made one thing clear — they value the safety of cyclists. Despite having a common goal, the ways in which both sides are attempting to achieve that goal are not aligned at this time.