Kristen Faulkner disqualified from Strade Bianche due to glucose monitor

The UCI has disqualified Kristen Faulkner from Strade Bianche 2023. The American had finished the race in third place after an impressive breakaway. She was not overtaken by the first two riders, Demi Vollering and Lotte Kopecky, until the final climb of the race.

The rider wore a glucose meter during the race on her left arm, which is forbidden by the International Cycling Union. Thus, the Team Jayco-AlUla rider has been moved to the last place of the Italian race. The third place on the podium now goes to Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez), who finished fourth in the Piazza del Campo ahead of Annemiek van Vleuten.

The move is due to a UCI rule banning the use of devices that record physiological data, including metabolic values, in races.

According to CyclingNews, Faulkner had given a statement to the UCI, claiming that she had been summoned at the last minute for the race and was already wearing the device for the ongoing measurements, which had begun in the days leading up to the race. Apparently, the athlete unplugged the device from the data recorder, but kept it on and thus incurred disqualification.