There are few things that shock me in cycling. I have seen it all, from the controversies to the triumphs, and yet Lorena Wiebes’ disqualification from the Giro d’Italia Women on Saturday did exactly that – it shocked me. Disqualification or relegation are nothing new in the sport, of course, but to be kicked out of a race for having an underweight bike is novel. My colleagues at Cyclingnews reckon it last happened in 2013, also at the women’s Giro, which would be why I don’t remember it, given I was 17.
Hence the general astonishment at Wiebes' being disqualified not just from stage one of the Giro, which she had won, but also the rest of the race. This is unusual. Her agent, André Boskamp, told Wielerflits that “she was a complete mess” when she returned home to the Netherlands, while SD Worx-Protime team manager Erwin Janssen told the Dutch press that legal action was being explored. This is unlikely to be the last we have heard about this.
