Photo courtesy of SWpix.
We’ve received information this morning that several high-profile women’s teams have been disqualified from the Tour de Romandie Féminin.
The race kicks off with an individual time trial between Huémoz and Villars-sur-Ollon later today.
The situation could change in the next hour, but right now, six teams, Lidl-Trek, Canyon SRAM, EF Education-Oatly, AG Insurance Soudal, Visma-Lease a Bike and Team Picnic PostNL, will be technically disqualified from the race ahead of the TT after a disagreement with the UCI over new rules surrounding the use of rider tracking systems within the race.
It appears the argument was about the use of the new safety tracking system, with the UCI imposing new regulations on the teams without proper consultation.
The teams tried to find a compromise and suggested that the system be used by all riders, rather than the UCI attempting to push the teams into making one rider per team use the device. The teams also requested that any device used should be fitted by the UCI and not the team mechanics, which the UCI were trying to force through.
This is a breaking news story, so please check the online version for updates throughout the morning.
We have obtained the following letter, which was sent to the UCI over the matter…