Since her controversial disqualification from the Giro d'Italia Women on Saturday and the debate that has followed, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) has stayed largely silent on the matter, but her agent has joined the chorus of voices criticising the decision.
Speaking to Wielerflits, André Boskamp said the decision "undermines the credibility of cycling" and blasted the circumstances that led to her expulsion from the entire race, reportedly over a weight discrepancy of around 20g under the 6.8kg UCI limit.
Criticism has arisen over the small margin of weight and the process of the checks, which apparently saw the bike weighed multiple times with different results.
"Lorena herself indicated that someone from the team management who was present saw that the inspectors were really fumbling with the scales," Boskamp said. "The way the jury handled this by acting like that… By doing so, they bring cycling into disrepute. These kinds of decisions undermine the credibility of cycling. Very questionable."
Boskamp also reiterated the defence that SD Worx deployed, saying that Wiebes had used the same bike at several different races this year without issue, including at the Vuelta a Burgos, where she won two stages.
This argument came under scrutiny when it emerged that Wiebes had opted for a 1x chainring set-up, different to her set-up at some other races. However, her agent dismissed this as a possible explanation for the bike coming under the limit.
“No, that’s a bit of nonsense," he told Wielerflits. "Lorena has ridden with a single chainring on this bike before. But the fact that it took them two hours to finally make the decision says enough.
"The disqualification also didn’t come until 9pm. At that point, you don’t have a single chance left to talk to the UCI about how this is possible and what happened."
Wiebes has yet to publicly react, bar sharing an Instagram post of various photos from May on Monday evening, captioned with a hashtag reading 'the show must go on', which has been a long-term motto of Wiebes and often displayed on her bike.
A post shared by Lorena Wiebes (@lorenawiebes)
A photo posted by on
Her agent gave a bit more insight into her reaction to the disqualification, saying she has since returned home to the Netherlands and is now on a trip away in her campervan.
"I spoke to her immediately on Saturday evening. She was a complete mess then," he said. "She had been looking forward to this Giro immensely, and now she is taking a nice break for a few days. Lorena has brought her bike along, but she is mainly letting everything sink in."
He also said that she is unlikely to comment on the issue until she returns to racing, currently set for the Copenhagen Sprint on June 13.
Wiebes' disqualification, though in line with the UCI rules on bike weight, which have no provision for any lesser punishment, has drawn widespread criticism from viewers, her team, and also the bike brand Specialized.
"20 grams didn’t win that sprint. Lorena did. We’re proud to stand with Lorena Wiebes and SD Worx-Protime," the brand wrote in an Instagram post. "The win we witnessed remains beyond measure. We stand with Lorena."
The post received supportive comments from riders, including Wiebes' former teammate and fellow Specialized athlete, Demi Vollering.
SD Worx-Protime, meanwhile, have not commented since the weekend when they said they were "astonished" by the decision, but are said to be considering legal action. In Wiebes' absence, stages 2 and 3 of the Giro have both been won in sprints by Elisa Balsamo.
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