Five women’s professional teams—Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto, EF Education – Oatly, Lidl–Trek, Team Picnic PostNL, and Visma | Lease a Bike—and eight riders have lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against their disqualification from the Tour de Romandie Féminin in August.
In addition to the disqualifications, the UCI has referred the teams to its Disciplinary Commission and threatened to revoke their licences via the UCI Licence Commission.
The appeal asks CAS to review the UCI’s decision to expel five teams and disqualify 30 riders after a GPS tracker safety test. The UCI had mandated the use of an experimental device developed by its sponsor, Swiss Timing, in a professional race—without prior consultation or transparent communication.
The teams and riders had expressed willingness to cooperate with the test, requesting that the UCI mount the devices on the bike and appoint riders accordingly. When the UCI declined to do so, the teams and riders were subsequently disqualified.
The appellants argue that the collective disqualification violated UCI Regulations, was disproportionate, imposed without due process, and enforced in a manner that left riders and teams feeling intimidated.
Further details of the case and its timeline will be released in due course.