The UCI race commissaries at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift have excluded SD Worx directeur sportif Danny Stam from the race, highlighting “the particularly dangerous nature of Mr Stam's overtaking of other cars and riders during stage” and “inappropriate comments made by Mr Stam to the UCI Commissaires’ Panel” in their announcement.
Stam was very critical of the UCI commissaires after the SD Worx team leader Demi Vollering was penalised 20 seconds after slipstreaming behind the SD Worx’s team car following a puncture on stage 5 to Albi.
Vollering was seen in the slipstream for almost a minute and the team car then even veered onto the grass on the left side of the road to avoid another car in the convoy, sparking concerns about Vollering’s safety in the peloton. A race commissaire on a motorbike whistled a number of times and then pointed at the driver and gestured that they would be reported.
The 20-second time penalty meant that Vollering dropped to seventh overall, 12 seconds behind her overall rival Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) before the decisive mountain stages of the Tour de France Femmes.
Stam was initially fined 200 CHF for his actions and he expressed anger that the 20-second penalty could cost SD Worx and Vollering the Tour de France Femmes victory in Pau on Sunday.
"I think also, the UCI, we know they are always right, but they also need to look in the mirror and think a little bit about what is happening in the race, and I don't think something like this makes a difference in the final of a stage, but we can lose the Tour de France on five seconds," Stam said.
"It is a ridiculous punishment that, in her eyes and our eyes, is not fair. If you look at the men's Tour de France, you see this happen daily. It can be a decision as to who wins the Tour de France.”
The UCI saw it very differently and Stam was excluded from the Tour de France Femmes before the start of stage 6 from Albi to Blagnac near Toulouse.
When questioned by Cyclingnews at the start about his exclusion from the race, Stam said: "No comment." Fellow directeur sportif Anna van der Breggen also said "no Comment" as she prepared to lead SD Worx in the final stages of the Tour de France Femmes.
“The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) confirms the decision taken today by the UCI Commissaires’ Panel officiating at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift against Mr Danny Stam, Sport Director of the UCI Women's WorldTeam, Team SD Worx,” the UCI said in a statement on Friday morning.
“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.”
SD Worx later released a statement acknowledging Stam's exclusion from the race. "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," read the statement.
"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.”
