It was the craziest moment of this year’s Giro d’Italia, and it didn’t even take place during the race.
After winning the first stage, Lorena Wiebes was thrown out of the race after officials determined her bike fell below the UCI’s minimum weight requirement of 6.8 kg. The decision came just hours after the first stage finished, and she also took the pink jersey. Many suggested that the punishment did not suit the crime. Even if she were slightly over–it was a flat stage.
There wasn’t much to be gained by a tiny tiny weight advantage. Furthermore, wouldn’t a fine, relegation or time penalty been less drastic. A leader of a Grand Tour has crashed out before, sure, but only a few times have they been ejected. One of the most (in)famous examples was Michael Rasmussen who was in yellow at the 2007 Tour. But he was removed for whereabouts problems with anti-doping controls.
In 1978, something similar happened to Michel Pollentier. The Belgian attempted to sneak in someone else’s urine after winning Alpe D’huez. But those examples are remarkably different from what happened to Wiebes.
According to her agent, André Boskamp, Wiebes was naturally devastated when she learned of the ruling.
“She was a pile of misery,” Boskamp said to Wielerflits. “She had worked so hard for this Giro and was really looking forward to it.”
Boskamp said the Dutch ace is planning to stay out of the public eye until her next scheduled race, the Copenhagen Sprint on June 13.
The biggest frustration for Wiebes’ camp isn’t just the punishment itself, but how the situation was handled.
Boskamp claimed the difference was roughly 20 grams, “a slice of cheese,” as he repeatedly described it, and questioned the reliability of the weighing process.
“The rules are the rules,” he acknowledged. “But the way this was handled raises a lot of questions. For me, this detracts from the credibility of cycling.”
As her team said, Boskamp he pointed out that Wiebes had been using the same bike setup throughout the season. And just like others on the squad suggested Boskamp questioned the equipment used during the inspection. Namely, whether the scale had been properly calibrated. SD Worx-Protime has said they will not let this go, and are considering legal action against the organizers.
Although the SD Worx-Protime now has the lead of the race, much of its Giro strategy around the 27-year-old sprinter. The exclusion also means lost prize money, UCI points and obviously exposure for sponsors who invest heavily just for these big races.
Still, Boskamp believes the setback won’t define her season.
“Lorena is mentally very strong,” he said. “Knowing her, she’ll come back even stronger.”
Meanwhile, the Giro rolled on. Elisa Balsamo, who finished second on day 1, took over the pink jersey and wore it until Tuesday, when the hill climb TT saw Anna Van der Breggen destroy the competition and the lead.