"Where is the margin of error on the scales? It’s a huge shame": Pundits slam the sudden disqualification of Lorena Wiebes at the Giro

Lorena Wiebes was disqualified from the Giro d’Italia Women after winning the opening stage on Saturday. Race organizers removed the Dutch sprinter from the Grand Tour because her bike was found to be 20 grams below the minimum weight requirement. As a result, the pink jersey was handed over to runner-up Elisa Balsamo, who subsequently won the second stage.

The decision has caused significant frustration, with Team SD Worx - Protime publicly questioning the accuracy of the scales used by the race officials. The team pointed out that Wiebes had already used the exact same bike setup to achieve multiple victories during the 2026 season.

Speaking on TNT Sports ahead of Stage 2 on Sunday, cycling expert Dani Rowe expressed her disappointment over losing one of the biggest names in the race so early in the week.

“I think it’s terrible, I’m honestly really disappointed,” Rowe said. “I think it’s a huge upset for the race and there is no positivity that can really come out of it. I’m heartbroken for Lorena, because she would have put herself in the best shape she could be for this race. To be thrown out is a harsh decision.”

“Especially after the statement that came out last night from SD Worx, who said she has ridden this bike with the same set-up multiple times, she has won on it. But not only that, the bike was checked multiple times after the stage and there was a big discrepancy of weight on the same scales. So where is the margin of error on the scales? It’s a huge shame.”

Pundit Ilenia Lazzaro noted that while the disqualification is a major blow for SD Worx-Protime, it completely resets the tactical dynamic for the rest of the peloton ahead of Sunday's flat stage.

“For SD Worx-Protime, they have to have a plan B as well, maybe today [Sunday] it will be Barbara Guarischi to sprint,” Lazzaro explained. “As for the other teams, it changes everything because there is now a huge opportunity to win the stage and take the jersey. The intermediate sprint will be crucial for points and also for seconds, and everyone, really everyone, can win today.”

SD Worx-Protime sports director Danny Stam reiterated the team's confusion regarding the technical inspection. Stam emphasized that the bike had successfully passed multiple weight checks at previous races earlier this spring.

“For us it was a big surprise that we got told that the bike was too light, because it’s the bike that we always use and that Lorena has already won on 10 times, I think,” Stam said. “They showed that the bike was too light and, on their scale, the bike was too light. We asked 20 times I think, and we did it 20 different ways, but in the end the decision was made, and they said the bike was too light.”

“No, it’s really a miracle; we really don’t know how it is. We know Lorena won stages in Burgos in the weeks before with the same bike, same set-up. The bike was good, it was measured many times. What do we say? I think Lorena wins with three bikes; we don’t need to look for 20 grams in a sprint stage. We are really surprised and we have doubts about the measuring.”

Stam also confirmed that the severity of the penalty has left Wiebes completely devastated, ending her goals for the entire race. “[Wiebes is] extremely disappointed. It’s a very hard punishment that she got, disqualification for the complete Giro. We came here to win three or four stages and that should be possible, but she got disqualified for this and we don’t have a chance any more.”