From sadness to anger to injustice – Lorena Wiebes speaks out for the first time since being disqualified from Giro d'Italia Women over bike weight

Lorena Wiebes has broken her silence following her disqualification from the Giro d'Italia Women after her bike was found to be under the UCI’s minimum weight limit. The Dutch sprinter initially celebrated what appeared to be a stage victory in Ravenna, only to be later removed from the race when post-race checks revealed her bike did not meet the 6.8kg minimum weight requirement. Wiebes described her emotional journey from sadness to anger and ultimately a sense of injustice, emphasising that neither she nor her team deliberately breached any rules. The SD Worx team has publicly questioned the UCI’s weighing procedures, highlighting inconsistencies of over 50 grams between two separate weighings of Wiebes’ bike. Wiebes herself expressed frustration at the fluctuating measurements, which she found difficult to accept, especially since her bike passed weight checks both before the race and at a hotel afterwards. She also dismissed suggestions that the use of a lighter 1x chainset could have caused the issue, noting that she had previously raced with the same setup without incident. Wiebes criticised the severity of the UCI’s penalty, arguing that disqualification was disproportionate given that the rider has no direct control over the bike’s weight. She suggested that a more reasonable approach might involve a fine or a warning for the team, reserving disqualification for repeated offences. Wiebes called for a review of the regulations and the weighing procedures to prevent such discrepancies in the future, stressing the importance of fairness and consistency in enforcement. The UCI has yet to respond to the allegations of measurement irregularities made by Wiebes and SD Worx. Meanwhile, Wiebes is preparing to return to competition at the Copenhagen Sprint in Denmark on 13 June. Her case has sparked wider debate about the balance between technical regulations and sporting fairness in women’s professional cycling, with potential legal action by her team signalling ongoing tensions with the sport’s governing body.