Five teams disqualified from Tour de Romandie Féminin after UCI rider tracking dispute
Five of the biggest squads in women’s cycling have been told they cannot start the Tour de Romandie Féminin following a disagreement with the UCI over new rider tracking rules. The race opens with an individual time trial from Huémoz to Villars-sur-Ollon.
Firstly reported by Daniel Benson, Lidl–Trek, Canyon–SRAM, EF Education–Oatly, Visma | Lease a Bike and Team Picnic PostNL have all been technically disqualified ahead of the first stage. The decision follows a clash between the teams and the UCI over the introduction of a new safety tracking system by the governing body.
The technology aims to enhance protection by providing race officials with real-time location data. After testing, it is set for full deployment at next month’s UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda, as previously announced by the UCI.
The dispute centres on the UCI’s decision to enforce the technology without prior consultation.
The planned UCI test involves a different system and follows an earlier trial during the Tour de Suisse of a rider tracking device integrated into Velon’s live rider data system, in which teams have invested heavily, and where every rider carried a device.
Reactions from UCI and teams
In a press release following the dispute, the UCI confirmed that 'certain teams on the start list for the Tour de Romandie Féminin have refused to comply with the rules for the race related to the implementation of GPS trackers as a test for a new safety system.'
The teams confirmed in the press release to have 'refused' to take part in the GPS tracking test are: Canyon//Sram zondacrypto, EF Education – Oatly, Lidl-Trek, Team Picnic PostNL and Team Visma Lease a Bike.
In its statement, the UCI also addressed the mention of Velon’s own system, noting: “It should be noted that most of these teams are part of the Velon organisation, which is the owner of its own data transmission system and is working on the development of its own GPS tracking system.”
In response, the teams issued a joint press statement, saying: "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."
The organisers of the Tour de Romandie Féminin state that 'they were merely observers in the discussions and that they are, to say the least, disheartened by this outcome regarding a measure that was meant first and foremost to benefit the cyclists and therefore the teams.'
Read also our analysis of the situation.
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