The leader of the SD-Worx team, Danny Stam, has been expelled from the Tour de France Femmes according to a press release by the UCI. They provide the reasons for this decision. They highlight Stam’s perilous driving and the unsuitable remarks he made about the jury after the conclusion of the race’s fifth stage yesterday.
On Thursday, Demi Vollering, another Dutch participant, was given a time penalty of twenty seconds. This penalty was given due to her act of slipstreaming, or drafting, behind the car driven by Stam. Following this incident, Stam expressed his dissatisfaction in the media. He stated, “If you lose twenty seconds because of such a minor issue and the UCI backs that decision, then I wonder if these people are capable of leading such a race. Look at the men, it’s quite normal for them to be brought back like this. There’s also no clear regulation.”
The press statement released by UCI sheds more light on the issue. It says:
“The Commissaires’ 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 (last paragraph) and 2.12.007/8.2.2 (last paragraph) of the UCI Regulations: a fine of 500 Swiss francs and exclusion from the event.”
There are 3 stages to go in this year’s race.
