Scandal in cycling: Five teams suspended

Because they refused to participate in a planned test run for GPS chips, the UCI barred and disqualified riders from five teams in the opening mountain time trial from Huémoz to Villars-sur-Ollon. Among them is Canyon-SRAM and Katarzyna Niewiadoma of Poland, winner of the 2024 Tour de France Women's Championship, one of the favorites for the overall victory. Thirty of the 30 registered riders will therefore not be starting.

The reason for the disqualification is a new GPS safety tracking system designed to make it easier to locate riders, especially in the event of a crash. The technology will also be used at the Road World Championships in Rwanda in September. The world governing body is testing the system for the first time at the tour in western Switzerland. One rider per team will receive a GPS tracker with a 63-gram chip.

Teams defend themselves "The decision of these teams' officials to defy the specific rules of the event is surprising and jeopardizes efforts to ensure safety in cycling through the development of this new technology," the UCI wrote in a statement. The world governing body also pointed out that "most of the teams concerned" are part of an organization developing its own GPS tracking system.

In a joint statement, the teams protested the disqualification and criticized the world governing body. They had already communicated their concerns to the UCI earlier this week and demonstrated their willingness to cooperate.

The decision to disqualify the five teams was "shocking" and, among other things, disregarded the rights of the teams and riders. The teams are always striving to make cycling safer, but this must be achieved "through cooperation and not coercion." The racing teams criticized, among other things, that the system was only to be tested on one rider per team and emphasized that another functioning system for the entire peloton already exists.

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Scandal in cycling: Five teams suspended

A dispute between the UCI and several WorldTour racing teams overshadows the Tour de Romandie Feminin.

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