After drafting Demi Vollering back to the field on Stage 5, SD Worx Danny Stam has been excluded from the remainder of the Tour de France Femmes.
Vollering sat behind team car for a full minute
With 66 km to go, the Dutch cyclist had a flat tire in her rear wheel. After receiving a wheel change, she rode closely behind the team car for more than a minute before catching up with the main group. However, a race official blew the whistle, signaling her to stop, but she ignored it and continued riding. Consequently, the official pointed at the team car driver, indicating that the cyclist would be penalized for her actions.
UCI deems his driving to be dangerous
On Friday, the UCI posted a statement about the incident, confirming that Stam had been ejected from the race.
“The Commissaire Panel’s communiqué indicates that, after careful and lengthy review of the available TV footage, which clearly shows the particularly dangerous nature of Mr Stam’s overtaking of other cars and riders during Stage 5 of the event, and in view of the inappropriate comments made by Mr. Stam to the UCI Commissaires’ Panel, the Panel has imposed the following penalties on the Sport Director, based on articles 2.12.007/4.7 and 2.12.007/8.2.2 (last of the UCI Regulations: a fine of 500 Swiss francs and exclusion from the event,” the statement read.
SD Worx also posted a statement on the matter.
“We are surprised that the UCI imposes this penalty, but accept this measure. Perhaps in the first moment we reacted a little too emotionally to Demi Vollering’s time penalty. Too bad this happened,” the post read. “With Anna van der Breggen as first sport director, we will continue the race and go back to focusing fully on the race itself as soon as possible. Our mission remains the same and that is to win the Tour de France Femmes. Everyone is more than 100 per cent motivated to go for that in the coming days.”
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