Five teams and 30 riders excluded from women's Tour de Romandie in a dispute over GPS trackers
cycling
Five teams and 30 of the world's top cyclists have been removed from the women's Tour de Romandie in a dispute over GPS trackers on riders, the sport's governing body said as the race began Friday.
The excluded riders made up nearly a third of the field for the three-day race in Switzerland and included 2024 Tour de France winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma.
The International Cycling Union said the teams had been asked to each pick one rider to wear a GPS tracker ahead of a wider rollout of the device to all riders at the world championships in Rwanda next month. They refused to nominate riders and were excluded from the race, the UCI said. All 30 riders were listed as non-starters on the race website.
'It is deplorable to witness the refusal of certain teams to move forward together to protect the safety of riders, and the UCI condemns their non-cooperation,' the UCI said. It also claimed that some of the teams were part of an organization developing a rival tracking system.
The exclusions may not be the end of the matter. The UCI said it 'shall consider if other measures are warranted' under its regulations.
In a joint statement, the five teams said they supported measures to make cycling safer but disagreed with how the UCI went about it. Forcing teams to pick one rider to wear the UCI-mandated device meant they had to 'discriminate one rider against other riders,' they said.
'This action disregards the rights of teams and riders, applies the measure in a discriminatory manner, and contradicts the UCI's own stated commitment to dialogue with stakeholders,' the teams said.
'We are always at the forefront to make cycling a safer sport, but it should be achieved through collaboration, not coercion.'
The UCI says it wants to introduce the trackers to ensure a quick response to crashes.
At last year's world championships in Switzerland, 18-year-old cyclist Muriel Furrer died after sustaining a head injury in a crash.
She was competing in the junior women's event on rain-slicked roads when she crashed in a forest area south of Zurich. She reportedly lay alone for almost an hour and a half before she was discovered at the side of the road and airlifted by helicopter to the hospital.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
15 hours ago
- Japan Today
Wallabies upset Springboks at Ellis Park from 22-0 down in Rugby Championship
Australia's Dylan Pietsch, centre, being tackled by South Africa's Andre Esterhuizen, left, during a rugby championship test match between South Africa and Australia, at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Frans Lombard) rugby union Australia toppled South Africa at Ellis Park for the first time in 62 years with a sensational 38-22 comeback win from 22-0 down in the Rugby Championship opener on Saturday. The Wallabies scored a remarkable six straight tries against the double world champion and Rugby Championship titleholder to earn the signature win of Joe Schmidt's 18-month coaching reign. Australia came to the high veld battle-hardened from the narrow home series loss to the British and Irish Lions, but its record in South Africa made it an obvious underdog. It hadn't won in South Africa since 2011 or at Ellis Park since 1963. The Springboks underlined their credentials by sprinting to 22-0 in 17 minutes with three well-made tries. But they never scored again. Australia didn't panic, absorbed the blows, tightened its defense and watched a Springboks side packed with 18 World Cup winners surprisingly wobble as the pressure was returned. The Wallabies were 22-5 down at halftime, and went ahead for the first time in the 64th minute through captain Harry Wilson's second try and last act of the match. They added two more tries to finish the stronger team at an altitude in which they have traditionally struggled for decades. This was only their second ever win over the Boks at their spiritual home in 92 years. Wilson opened the second half scoring a soft try from replacement prop Angus Bell's pass into a gap 25 meters out. Len Ikitau limped off and Australia patched the midfield with Andrew Kellaway, and put flyhalf backup Tane Edmed on the wing for the injured Dylan Pietsch. Australia blew two consecutive attacking lineouts to narrow the 22-12 gap, and managed it only when rugby league convert Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i intercepted scrumhalf Grant Williams from 55 meters out for his first test try. They finally hit the front when fullback Tom Wright stepped Canan Moodie and set up Wilson, who appeared to be cramping as he crossed the try-line for a second time. Wilson left. Two minutes later, a giant double miss-out pass by James O'Connor released right wing Max Jorgensen to score another long-range try. The fourth goalkick by O'Connor, the fourth-choice flyhalf playing his first test in three years at age 35, sent Australia 33-22 ahead with 14 minutes left. South Africa and its renowned 'bomb squad' of replacements couldn't break an inspired Wallabies side. The coup was completed with five to go. Just outside the Australia 22, Jesse Kriel's overhead inside pass to Andre Esterhuizen was knocked on straight to Wright, who cantered to the other end. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Japan Today
Five teams and 30 riders excluded from women's Tour de Romandie in a dispute over GPS trackers
FILE - Tour de France Women's winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma of Poland, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates on the podium after the eighth stage of the Tour de France Women cycling race with start in Le Grand-Bornand and finish in Alpe d'Huez, France, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, file) cycling Five teams and 30 of the world's top cyclists have been removed from the women's Tour de Romandie in a dispute over GPS trackers on riders, the sport's governing body said as the race began Friday. The excluded riders made up nearly a third of the field for the three-day race in Switzerland and included 2024 Tour de France winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma. The International Cycling Union said the teams had been asked to each pick one rider to wear a GPS tracker ahead of a wider rollout of the device to all riders at the world championships in Rwanda next month. They refused to nominate riders and were excluded from the race, the UCI said. All 30 riders were listed as non-starters on the race website. 'It is deplorable to witness the refusal of certain teams to move forward together to protect the safety of riders, and the UCI condemns their non-cooperation,' the UCI said. It also claimed that some of the teams were part of an organization developing a rival tracking system. The exclusions may not be the end of the matter. The UCI said it 'shall consider if other measures are warranted' under its regulations. In a joint statement, the five teams said they supported measures to make cycling safer but disagreed with how the UCI went about it. Forcing teams to pick one rider to wear the UCI-mandated device meant they had to 'discriminate one rider against other riders,' they said. 'This action disregards the rights of teams and riders, applies the measure in a discriminatory manner, and contradicts the UCI's own stated commitment to dialogue with stakeholders,' the teams said. 'We are always at the forefront to make cycling a safer sport, but it should be achieved through collaboration, not coercion.' The UCI says it wants to introduce the trackers to ensure a quick response to crashes. At last year's world championships in Switzerland, 18-year-old cyclist Muriel Furrer died after sustaining a head injury in a crash. She was competing in the junior women's event on rain-slicked roads when she crashed in a forest area south of Zurich. She reportedly lay alone for almost an hour and a half before she was discovered at the side of the road and airlifted by helicopter to the hospital. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Today
3 days ago
- Japan Today
Beijing's first World Humanoid Robot Games opens with hip-hop, martial arts and music
A robot rehearses the 100m race before the opening ceremony of The World Humanoid Robot Games held in Beijing, China, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) By FU TING Humanoid robots hip-hop danced, performed martial arts and played keyboard, guitar and drums at the opening ceremony of the first World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Thursday evening. The competition begins Friday with more than 500 humanoid robots in 280 teams from 16 countries, including the U.S., Germany and Japan, competing in sports including soccer, running and boxing. It comes as China has stepped up efforts to develop humanoid robots powered by artificial intelligence. During the opening ceremony, the robots demonstrated soccer and boxing among other sports, with some cheering and backflipping as if at a real sports day. One robot soccer player scored a goal after a few tries, causing the goalkeeper to fall to the ground. Another player fell but stood up unassisted. The robots also modeled fashionable hats and clothes alongside human models. One robot model sadly fell and had to be carried off the stage by two human beings. Teams from robot companies and Chinese universities including Tsinghua University and Peking University are competing in the games. Three middle schools are also participating. China's official newspaper People's Daily quoted a government officer in Beijing as saying 'every robot participates is creating history.' The event will last three days, concluding on Sunday. Tickets sold to the public range from 180 yuan ($25) to 580 ($80). Olivia Zhang contributed to this report from Beijing. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
