Lorena Wiebes was spotted along the route of stage 6 of the Giro d'Italia Women as her SD Worx-Protime reportedly said it is "going to hold the UCI liable" for her disqualification on stage 1 after her bike failed to meet the minimum weight requirements.
Wiebes was said to have returned home but was seen on a wall and waved to her teammates and fellow riders as stage 6 passed the shores of Lake Garda on the way to Brescello. Floortje Mackaij (Movistar) was seen with Wiebes. A number of riders waved back.
Wiebes won stage 1and pulled on the first maglia rosa on Saturday, only for the UCI to change the results and disqualify Wiebes three hours later. Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) was awarded the stage victory and maglia rosa.
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The UCI ruled that Wiebes was disqualified for a "breach of article 2.12.007 – 2.2: use of a bicycle not in compliance with the regulations, specifically failing to meet the minimum weight requirements."
However, SD Worx-Protime have continued to protest against the decision.
"According to the jury, the bicycle weighed 6.78 kilograms and therefore did not meet the UCI's minimum weight requirement of 6.8 kilograms," SD Worx-Protime said in an initial statement.
"The team has serious questions about the bicycle-weighing procedures at the Giro d'Italia Women. For example, there was a weight difference of more than 50 grams between the first and second weighing of Wiebes' bicycle after the finish of the stage in Ravenna."
Team manager Erwin Janssen told Wielerflits that SD Worx would fight against the UCI decision. "We are going to hold the UCI liable and have hired a lawyer,” Janssen reportedly told Wielerflits.
"Besides seeking some form of vindication, this disqualification also has a huge financial impact. It is difficult to say how large the damage is in Euros, but you have to think of the prize money from multiple missed stages, the missed UCI points, and agreements in sponsor contracts. We are currently in the process of calculating all of that."
Janssen suggested the case could be drawn out and ultimately be judged by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with the UCI refusing to speak to the SD Worx-Protime team or speak publicly about the case.
"It is very likely that it will go to CAS. The UCI is simply not responding. No one is answering the phone. Only our lawyer has been able to reach someone higher up at the UCI," Janssen said.
"The UCI is simply unyielding. They say: too light is too light. There is little understanding or flexibility, even though we never take risks with the bike. Lorena’s bike always weighed between 6.83 and 6.85 kilos, so it really is just due to the wind. That bike was blowing from left to right. From what I heard from experts, the wind can make a huge difference in a measurement. So we are currently investigating that as well."
Cyclingnews has also reached out to the UCI for comment, but has so far not received a reply.
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