Big day at the races. After multiple teams were disqualified before the start of the Tour de Romandie Féminin, the UCI has weighed in.

The international governing body said it condemns the decision by several teams to refuse participation in a GPS safety tracking test during the Tour de Romandie Féminin, a three-stage Women’s WorldTour race from August 15-17.

The UCI described the move as “surprising” and said it “undermines the cycling family’s efforts to ensure the safety of all riders.” Teams were required to designate one rider to carry a 63-gram GPS device, designed to provide real-time data to race control, medical teams, and UCI Commissaires.

Regarding Tour Romandie Feminin. The 5 teams that were disqualified by UCI were disqualified NOT for refusing the mandated(not agreed upon) GPS, but for not nominating which rider should carry the device and asking the UCI to nominate the rider. Difficult to understand? I agree.

— Jonathan Vaughters (@Vaughters) August 15, 2025

The same technology is planned for the 2025 UCI Road world championships in Kigali, Rwanda, where all riders will be equipped.

The teams refusing the test—Canyon//Sram zondacrypto, EF Education–Oatly, Lidl–Trek, Team Picnic PostNL, and Team Visma – Lease a Bike—are largely part of Velon, which is developing its own GPS system.

The UCI emphasized that the initiative, led by SafeR, aims to refine protocols and “strengthen the monitoring of rider safety during races and enable rapid response in case of incidents.” It added that “it is deplorable to witness the refusal of certain teams to move forward together to protect the safety of riders” and condemned their non-cooperation.

That means two Canadians won’t be racing Friday: Lidl–Trek’s Isabella Holmgren, and EF’s Magdeleine Vallières. Given the reduced field, it may also affect UCI points.

UPDATE: The teams affected have released a statement, as posted by Procyclingstats.com: Here it is below in full:

“Statement by the disqualified teams: We are shocked and disappointed by the UCI’s decision to disqualify several teams, including ours, from the Tour de Romandie Féminin.

Earlier this week, all affected teams sent formal letters to the UCI expressing support for rider safety but raising serious concerns about the unilateral imposition of a GPS tracking device to just one of the riders per team.

We made clear that:

•We would not select a rider ourselves, nor install, remove, or maintain the device.

•The UCI or its partner was free to select a rider and install the device at their own liability if they believe they are in their right to do so.

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 whole peloton 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.

Despite multiple requests by the teams over the last two days, the UCI commissaires were unable to demonstrate on the basis of which precise UCI rule teams are obligated to discriminate one rider against other riders in terms of obligations (except for officially refering to an email of the teams’s union) but have nevertheless decided to carry on and disqualify the teams with their riders.

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.

We are always at the forefront to make cycling a safer sport, but it should be achieved through collaboration, not coercion.”