SD Worx-Protime plans legal action over Wiebes DQ, amid conflicting reports of the bike's weight

The dust is still settling after Saturday night's bombshell disqualification of Lorena Wiebes from the Giro d'Italia Women, hours after she'd dominated the stage 1 sprint. On Sunday morning, amid conflicting reports as to just how much Wiebes's bike came under the weight requirement, SD Worx-Protime's team manager Erwin Janssen has vowed to make an appeal. "It will be difficult, but we cannot just let this go," Janssen told NOS. "It is ridiculous that Lorena is being kicked out. This is causing us so much damage. “We were going for three or four victories. It is sad. These are the bikes we always ride. And we have never had anything like this happen before ... We are going to do everything we can, including legally. But they are unyielding. It will be their no against our yes. They will receive a letter stating that we are going to hold them liable for damages suffered." Wiebes disqualified from Giro d’Italia for underweight bike after winning stage 1The UCI disqualified the Dutch champion from the race for bike weight violations.Escape CollectiveAbby Mickey The team also questioned the tools and conditions with which the weight was verified, leading to Wiebes's disqualification. "The first [bike] was 70 grams lighter than allowed," Janssen went on, adding a query as to the calibration of the equipment, i.e. if it had previously been used at altitude, it would need to be recalibrated before use at the finish in Ravenna, which is a few metres above sea level. "That didn't happen, we heard. After the finish, we ourselves came in above 6.83 kilos. But that was indoors, without wind, using our own equipment."