In sports, rules are set to bring clarity and fairness to it. Participants are required to follow those rules, and not adhering to those rules will attract penalties and punishments. Along similar lines, in the ongoing events of the Tour de France Femme, the director of a major team, SD Worx, has been expelled from the event.

The decision of expelling was made by the Union Cycliste Internationale. UCI is the governing body of cycling sports events. The decision was viewed as an extreme step by the SD Worx’s team but they said they have accepted it. The decision came after the team car drafted its rider Demi Vollering during stage 5 of the tour.

SD Worx director expelled from Tour de France Femme

SD Worx director Danny Stam has been expelled with a fine from the Tour de France Femme. In its statement, the UCI said the Commissaires’ Panel came to this decision “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“. The director Stam has been fined 500 Swiss francs.

Earlier Danny Stam criticized the UCI’s decision on Demi Vollering, who was penalized with a twenty-second time penalty in stage 5 of the tour. Due to the penalty, she slipped from the second position to seventh in the general classification standing. On Vollering’s penalty, the director Danny had said, “It’s ridiculous“. Her teammate Lotte Kopecky, the holder of the yellow jersey, went a step further. Lotte said, “Demi getting 20 seconds for this reason is a bit b*******, I think“.

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During stage 5 of the tour, Demi faced a puncture when there were sixty-five kilometers of race left. The director of the team Danny Stam was driving the team car and then went around other supporting cars in the race to draft her to the peloton. Vollering tucked behind the car and left the draft before approaching the group. They were warned during the draft by motorcycling commission riding along the race. This draft was viewed by UCI and thus imposed the penalty.

SD Worx director accepts the decision

Following the UCI’s decision, the sports director of SD Worx Danny Stam stated, “What can I say? It won’t change much. I have to accept it. The UCI always has the last word“. The team in its statement said that they were surprised by the decision but accepted it. They acknowledged that their response to Vollering’s penalty was a little emotional. But, they are all focused now focused on the Tour de France Femme and with an aim to win it.

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Normally, race commissaries allow vehicle drafting of cyclists during the race if the rider’s gap is caused by reasons that are out of control of the rider. In a similar case, another director of the team AG Insurance-Soudal-QuickStep Servais Knaven along with its rider Lotta Henttala was expelled from the race almost immediately after she was spotted behind her team car after she fell back during the climb.

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