The Giro d’Italia Femminile changed its leader after the peloton had already left Ravenna. Lorena Wiebes had dominated the sprint of the first stage with her usual authority, raising her arms and donning the first pink jersey of the race. However, hours after the finish, the UCI commissaires announced her expulsion from the race for a technical infraction related to the weight of her bicycle.
The Dutch rider, a strong favorite in the sprint finishes of this edition, thus loses the stage victory, the overall lead, and her place in the race. According to the check carried out after the opening stage, the bicycle used by the SD Worx-Protime rider registered a weight of 6.78 kilograms, two hundredths below the minimum of 6.8 kilograms established by UCI regulations. The sanction is based on article 2.12.007-2.2 of the regulations, which stipulates exclusion for competing with a bicycle that does not meet the technical requirements.
The ruling nullified the stage result. Wiebes had been the fastest on the streets of Ravenna after launching her sprint from afar and clearly outsprinting Elisa Balsamo. What seemed like just another victory for one of the dominant figures in the women’s peloton ended up becoming one of the most shocking stories of the Giro’s start.
RCS Sport confirmed the decision after the podium ceremony. The organization explained that the bicycle did not meet the minimum weight requirement and applied the maximum sporting sanction. Wiebes will not be able to start the second stage between Roncade and Caorle, an absence that completely alters the sprint finishes and leaves SD Worx-Protime without one of its key contenders.
The team’s response was swift. In a statement, the Dutch team said they were “surprised” by the UCI commissaires’ decision and questioned the procedure followed during the equipment check. According to SD Worx-Protime, there was a difference of more than 50 grams between the first and second weighings carried out after the stage.
“Wiebes has used this bike on several occasions this season, always with the same setup. He has achieved numerous victories with it. Furthermore, earlier this year, the bike was weighed by UCI officials after several races in which Wiebes won decisively in sprint finishes. On each occasion, the bike’s weight far exceeded the 6.8-kilogram limit. Therefore, the team does not understand how it is possible that the same bike now weighs less than the minimum required.”
The team also questioned the proportionality of the penalty imposed. SD Worx-Protime believes the disqualification is excessive given that it was a completely flat stage, and they point out that Wiebes’ victory came with a significant advantage over her rivals.
“Wiebes’ disqualification is an exceptionally harsh penalty. On a flat sprint stage, unlike a mountain stage, a small weight reduction offers virtually no advantage. This is especially true for a rider like Wiebes, who won the sprint in Ravenna by three bike lengths.”
New leader after the sanction
The biggest beneficiary is Elisa Balsamo. The Italian rider from Lidl-Trek, who had crossed the finish line in second place despite being involved in a crash during the first half of the day, inherits the stage victory and becomes the first wearer of the pink jersey in this edition. Lara Gillespie moves up to second place, and Chiara Consonni completes the podium in the revised classification. Georgia Baker and Charlotte Kool round out the top five.
Thanks to time bonuses, Balsamo heads into the second stage with a four-second lead over Gillespie and six over Consonni. The main contenders for the overall title, including Demi Vollering, Elisa Longo Borghini, Marlen Reusser, and Anna van der Breggen, remain ten seconds behind.
Cuban Arlenis Sierra (Movistar Team) finished 16th, the best performance by any rider from the Americas competing in the Giro, while Brazilian Ana Vitória Magalhães (Movistar Team) finished 81st, 32 seconds behind the winner. The Giro d’Italia for women continues this Sunday with the second of nine scheduled stages, a 156-kilometer route between Roncade and Caorle.
Giro d’Italia Women (2.WWT)
Results Stage 1 | Cesenatico – Ravenna (139 km)
| 1 | Elisa Balsamo | Lidl – Trek | 3:18:22 |
| 2 | Lara Gillespie | UAE Team ADQ | m.t. |
| 3 | Chiara Consonni | CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto | m.t. |
| 4 | Georgia Baker | Liv AlUla Jayco | m.t. |
| 5 | Linda Zanetti | Fenix-Premier Tech | m.t. |
| 6 | Charlotte Kool | Uno-X Mobility | m.t. |
| 7 | Gladys Verhulst-Wild | AG Insurance – Soudal Team | m.t. |
| 8 | Célia Gery | FDJ United – SUEZ | m.t. |
| 9 | Lily Williams | Human Powered Health | m.t. |
Fuente: www.marca.es