'Collaboration, not coercion' - Teams disqualified over GPS safety trackers at Tour de Romandie concerned about lack of consent and fairness

The four WorldTeams and one ProTeam disqualified from the Tour de Romandie Féminin in a dispute over GPS safety trackers being used as a part of a safety test at the three-day race, have hit back at the UCI in a letter stating that the sport governing body failed to answer their questions about the device while expressing the importance of consent and close collaboration of the teams.

The UCI announced earlier this month that a test of a GPS tracking system for rider safety would be conducted at the Tour de Romandie Féminin, held from August 15 to 17. It was intended to be part of a safety initiative from the UCI and its SafeR project and a test run ahead of the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda, where all riders will carry a GPS tracker.

The sport governing body reiterated in a press release on Friday that the competing teams were required to designate one rider on whose bike a GPS tracker would be fixed, condemning their refusal to participate in the test of GPS safety tracking technology.

Lidl-Trek, Visma-Lease a Bike, Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto, EF Education-Oatly and Picnic-PostNL opted not to fix the device to one of their respective riders' bikes, and were excluded from starting the opening stage, a 4.4-kilometre uphill time trial between Huémoz and Villars-sur-Odon at the Tour de Romandie on Friday.

A letter addressed to the UCI's Strategic Sports Manager, Matthew Knight, on Friday, and signed by representatives from EF Education-Oatly, Lidl-Trek, Visma-Lease a Bike, Picnic PostNL, Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto and AG Soudal-Insurance, stated six main points had been communicated to the UCI Commissaires’ meeting earlier in the day that outlined their reasoning for not using the devices.

• Teams do not consent to the UCI’s imposition of the use of the tracking devices in the race (or any race for that matter).
• However, as the UCI is threatening the Teams with disqualification should a Team resist/refuse this, the Teams will not stop the UCI and/or its partner(s) from attaching tracking devices on its bicycles as the Teams do not have the time to legally challenge this position and believe it would be grossly unfair to all teams, the Teams’ riders, the race organiser and the fans if the Teams are disqualified from the race over a tracking test the UCI wishes to impose as the regulator for for the benefit of itself as a race organiser.
• However, the UCI is hereby put on notice that this will be done at the UCI/its partners’ own liability, vis-à-vis the Teams and the relevant riders. We have instructed our staff to take a picture of any person attaching a device on the bicycle of the Team and to request full ID information from such person. Such person will also be held personally liable for any accident, injury or damage resulting from such device.
• The staff of the Teams will not mount, remove, charge or in any way manage the devices throughout the race. The staff has been instructed not to touch the devices and we assume no liability for any damage to the devices attached to the bicycles.
• Neither the Teams nor their riders consent to the capturing, use or distribution of any data, to the extent such consent is required.
• The Team will not select an individual rider to carry a device as it will put that rider in a disadvantage against other riders, which is clearly discriminatory. We put the UCI on notice that the Teams and their riders reserve their rights against the UCI / its partner should it proceed to perform this test in a discriminatory manner. If the UCI’s regulations do give the UCI, in a legal and enforceable manner, the right to attach device to team’s bicycles without permission, such regulations should be applied fairly and equally against all riders and not discriminate against individual rights.

The five teams that were excluded from the event were expected to start the race with six riders on each roster, meaning 30 riders were sent home, including race favourite and former Tour de France winner Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) and Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek).

Before the start of the stage 1 uphill time trial, it was reported that each team was told to pick one rider to have the GPS tracking device installed on their time trial bike; however, five teams refused to elect one of their riders and handed the choice back to the UCI. When the UCI in turn refused to pick the riders, the teams that ultimately decided against picking a rider themselves were denied the start.

Lidl-Trek released a statement following their disqualification, saying that they were willing to cooperate with the tracking system safety test, but that the UCI failed to confirm its request for rule clarification. It also asked for "collaboration, not coercion."

"We are shocked and disappointed by the UCI’s decision to disqualify several teams, including ours, from the Tour de Romandie Féminin," read the statement from Lidl-Trek. "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 team outlined two main concerns.

• 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," the Lidl-Trek statement read.

"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’ 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."

There were 63 riders who started and completed the uphill time trial, with Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ) taking the win ahead of Urška Žigart (AG Insurance-Soudal) and Juliette Labous (FDJ-SUEZ). There are two more stages that include a summit finish at La Tzoumaz on Saturday and a hilly conclusion in Aigle on Sunday.