“Collaboration, not coercion”: Disqualified Tour de Romandie teams accuse UCI of rule overreach in GPS tracker row

The fallout from one of the most extraordinary pre-race controversies in recent memory continues to deepen, as the disqualified teams from the 2025 Tour de Romandie Féminin issued a joint statement accusing the UCI of “disregarding the rights of teams and riders” and enforcing safety protocols in a “discriminatory manner.”

The statement — signed by Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto, EF Education–Oatly, Lidl–Trek, Team Picnic PostNL, and Team Visma | Lease a Bike — follows the governing body’s decision to eject them from the three-day Swiss stage race before the opening stage had even begun. At the heart of the dispute is the UCI’s trial of a new GPS tracking system, intended to improve rider safety by enabling real-time monitoring and faster medical response.

Under the test protocol, one rider per team was to carry a 63g GPS unit for the duration of the race. While the UCI insisted the system was safe and its rules were clearly communicated — citing Articles 1.3.073 and 2.12.007/3.5.3 of its regulations — the affected teams argued that the measure was imposed without sufficient consultation, clarity on liability, or agreement on how the test would be implemented.

In their statement, the teams stressed that they were not opposed to GPS tracking in principle, and had in fact offered the UCI access to an alternative, fully operational system already in use at other major races and covering the entire peloton. They said their refusal centred on the UCI’s insistence that the teams themselves select which rider would carry the device — a choice they argued was unfair, potentially discriminatory, and beyond their responsibility.

“We would not select a rider ourselves, nor install, remove, or maintain the device,” their joint statement reads. “The UCI or its partner was free to select a rider and install the device at their own liability if they believe they are in their right to do so.”

Despite that position — and multiple letters sent earlier in the week expressing both safety concerns and willingness to cooperate under different terms — the teams say the UCI would not take on the task of rider selection, nor explain why.

The statement also accuses UCI commissaires of failing to produce a specific rule obligating teams to single out one rider for additional equipment requirements, despite “multiple requests over the last two days.”

Instead, they claim, officials referred only to an email from the teams’ union and pressed ahead with disqualification when no rider was nominated. “This action disregards the rights of teams and riders, applies the measure in a discriminatory manner, and contradicts the UCI’s own stated commitment to dialogue with stakeholders,” the teams wrote. “We are always at the forefront to make cycling a safer sport, but it should be achieved through collaboration, not coercion.”

The UCI has shown little sign of backing down, describing the teams’ refusal as “surprising” and “deplorable,” and arguing that it undermines efforts to improve safety ahead of a planned rollout of GPS tracking at the 2025 Road World Championships in Kigali.

In a pointed aside, the governing body noted that most of the disqualified teams are members of Velon, which operates its own GPS and telemetry technology. That line has been read by many in the sport as a thinly veiled suggestion that commercial rivalries may have influenced the standoff — something the teams have categorically rejected, insisting their objections are about process and fairness, not business interests.

The incident leaves the Tour de Romandie Féminin with a severely depleted peloton, missing not just six World Tour teams but also key riders such as defending champion Demi Vollering, sidelined by illness. It also reignites broader debates over the balance of power between cycling’s governing body and its top-tier teams, particularly when introducing new technology mid-season.

EF boss Jonathan Vaughters summed up the teams’ frustration in a now widely shared post on social media: “Using a World Tour event as a testing ground is wrong. Once you’ve chosen to impose your will, refusing to select which riders get to be the victims and throwing that decision on the teams? Not right. And then disqualifying teams for not choosing the victim?”

With the UCI hinting at “other measures” in accordance with its regulations, the stand-off could escalate beyond Romandie. Whether the two sides can find common ground before Kigali may set a precedent for how cycling’s technological future is shaped — and who gets to make those decisions. For now, the message from the disqualified teams is clear: safety is not the issue. The process is. And they believe the UCI’s handling of it has crossed a line.