2023 Tour de France Femmes: SD Worx call Demi Vollering's 20-second drafting penalty 'totally ridiculous'

ByAndrew Wright

Updated 27/07/2023 at 21:48 GMT

SD Worx’s Danny Stam was highly critical of the 20-second penalty Demi Vollering was given for drafting during Stage 5 of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes. Vollering's SD Worx team car pulled out of the convoy and gave the Dutch rider a tow as she attempted to catch up to the back of the peloton. The time penalty at the end of the stage dropped her from second to seventh on GC.

SD Worx’s Danny Stam described the UCI race jury’s decision to give Demi Vollering a retrospective 20-second penalty for drafting during Stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes as "totally ridiculous.”

Stam was driving the team car when Vollering pulled into its slipstream in an effort to bridge the gap to the peloton, having suffered an earlier puncture.

The Dutch rider’s penalty under Article 12.2.007/4.7, as noted in the Stage 5 communique, meant she dropped from second and 43 seconds behind leader Lotte Kopecky, to seventh and one minutes and three seconds down on general classification.

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It could prove costly in Pau come Sunday’s final stage and Stam was highly critical of the UCI, insisting the punishment did not fit the crime.

"Yes, we did get a penalty, and we did the official protest, but they didn't accept it, and we need to leave with [a penalty] of 20 seconds," Stam said.

"It's totally ridiculous. If someone punctures and you bring them back to the caravan, and you pass a couple of cars, and then go to the side, that you get punished for 20 seconds, it's ridiculous."

Vollering and defending champion Annemiek van Vleuten started the race vying for favouritism, and are expected to battle it out for the title.

The penalty means Vollering is now 12 seconds behind her big rival and fellow Dutch rider, and Stam fears the penalty could have a bearing on the outcome of the race.

Stam said: "I think also, the UCI, we know they are always right, but they also need to look in the mirror and think a little bit about what is happening in the race, and I don't think something like this makes a difference in the final of a stage, but we can lose the Tour de France on five seconds.

"If the decision is made by someone who sits in the car, probably never was on the bike, then I am disappointed in this kind of thing."

Vollering began the stage second on general classification but suffered a puncture with 65km left. Once her bike had been serviced, she received a tow for at least a minute from the SD Worx car in an effort to catch up to the pack.

The commissaire expressed displeasure with the manoeuvre and signalled Vollering would be reported to the race jury, who assessed the rider a penalty and a 100 Swiss Francs (c. £90) fine, with her team incurring their own fine of 200 CHF (£180).

"I passed a couple of cars in the caravan, and they found it too much. [The commissaire] didn't say much because the window stayed closed," Stam added.

"He said that I needed to go behind my rider, and if you look at the TV, I did that directly. It is also strange that we didn't get a warning, and they didn't say you need to go behind your rider but directly punished us with 20 seconds.

"It's too much for something like this, and it can have a big influence on the final at the Tour de France. If we have decisions like this at the top sports level for something small, we need to see if we are in the right way."

Following the race on the motorbike, former Dutch cyclist Iris Slappendel was critical of the move, labelling it "very dangerous" and explaining the importance of respecting the rules of the road.

"When you have a mechanical issue or a crash, as a rider you have to go back through the convoy on the right side of the road," she said on Eurosport.

‘That will be a fine’ - SD Worx given ticking off as Vollering drafts behind car

"So the whole convoy is lined up at the right side, which gives space to other sport directors to move up on the left side, for example to service their rider.

"And what you really cannot do as a sport director is move up on the left side with a rider on your bumper.

"That's something we just saw happening with Team SD Worx, it's a very dangerous situation.

"There are motors on the left side of the road, there are other sport directors on the right side of the road that might go out of that row on the right to service their riders.

"So it's really important to stick to these rules that we have in the convoy to make sure that everyone is safe: sport directors, riders and also us on the motorbikes, of course."

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