🎥 UCI bans SD Worx team boss Stam from race for 'dangerous overtaking' and 'inappropriate remarks', time penalty for Vollering

SD Worx and Demi Vollering took major risks in the fifth stage of the Tour de France Femmes when the Dutch team lead had a flat tire. After a quick bike switch, Vollering was brought back behind the car, which created a risky situation. Among other things, the jury slapped her with a time penalty.

The footage shows that Vollering stays in the wake behind the car for an extended period of time after her bike switch. She returns to the peloton, but the motorbike jury swiftly delivered a stern warning at the car window. Time penalties have been frequently handed out in recent months for drafting, sticky bottles and similar actions. It became clear after the stage that Vollering could not escape from this.

In the official ranking on the Tour's website, a time penalty of twenty seconds is listed behind Vollering's name. As a result, she is now twelve seconds behind rival Annemiek van Vleuten in the general classification. For Sports Director Danny Stam, the situation was even more bitter, as he was expelled from the race by the jury. A day after the incident, the UCI responds with a statement: "After multiple reviews of the TV footage, it is clear that Mr. Stam dangerously overtakes other cars and riders. After Mr. Stam's inappropriate statements about the UCI commissioners, the jury decided to fine him 500 Swiss francs and ban him from the event."

UCI bans Stam from race after "inappropriate statements"

The UCI's "inappropriate statements" refer to an angry Stam, who lashed out at the jury after the finish of the fifth stage. "If you lose seconds because of such a minor incident and the UCI stands by that decision, I wonder if those people are capable of leading such a race," he said, among other things. "As chief commissioner at the UCI, you should think about whether this can influence the classification. I hope they can look in the mirror on Sunday with satisfaction and not think: we f*cked up the Tour by five seconds."

In response to Stam's exclusion, SD Worx releases a statement. "We are surprised that the UCI imposes this penalty, but accept this measure. Perhaps there was an overly emotional reaction to Demi Vollering's time penalty in the first moment. It's a shame this happened. With Anna van der Breggen as the first team leader, we will continue the race and focus fully on the sport again as soon as possible. Our mission remains the same, and that is to win the Tour de France Femmes. Everyone is more than one hundred percent motivated to go for it in the coming days."

Video: Vollering brought back behind the car