Governing body asserts authority with early regulation crackdown at the Tour de France Femmes while two riders leave the race as soon as stage 1.
(Photo: Gruber Images)
Updated August 2, 2026 01:00AM
The UCI jury made its presence felt at the first opportunity at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
The governing body went into sanction frenzy after stage 1 of the race on Saturday and dished out a total of 2,750 CHF ($ 3,400 USD) in fines in a busy post-stage report that listed 12 separate infractions.
The last line of Saturday’s dirty dozen was an unusual one.
“We would like to remind you that it is prohibited to modify or cut the frame plates, in accordance with article 1.3.076,” read the jury report after stage 1 of the Tour de France Femmes.
The governing body rarely issues warnings to the entire peloton.
In this case, the rebuke relates to the number plates mounted beneath the saddle of every bike in the race.
Rule 1.3.076 of the UCI Bible states: “Riders shall ensure that their identification number is visible and legible at all times. The identification number shall be well fixed and may not be folded or altered.”
A similar rule applies to the dossards that riders pin to their jersey pockets.
It’s unknown what exactly provoked the UCI to curtly remind riders to stop fiddling with their damn numbers Saturday – no specific cases were cited.
It’s likely that athletes were spotted with frame plates that were trimmed down to fit better beneath their saddles or be more aerodynamic.
Bad driving and kerb riding
Elsewhere, four team staffers and one press driver were each fined 500 CHF for breaching driving regulations in the convoy. Four of them were also issued a yellow card.
Alice Towers (EF Education-Oatly) was sanctioned 250 CHF and docked 15 UCI points for littering.
Defending Tour de France champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) was one of four riders who were warned for riding on sidewalks.
PFP was seen hopping onto a curb late in the stage as the peloton blasted through the streets of Lausanne on roads cluttered with street furniture.
Alison Jackson (St Michel-Auber93) was also warned for using a non-compliant position on the bike.
The governing body is hot on riders resting their forearms on their handlebars for an aero workaround or using positions anywhere close to the famous “super tuck.”
Two riders out of Tour de France Femmes on stage 1
Laura Tomasi left the Tour de France Femmes on stage 1 after she sustained a concussion. (Photo: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)
Sadly, two riders didn’t make it through stage 1 of the Tour de France Femmes on Saturday.
Uno-X racer Laura Tomasi was forced out after she sustained a concussion in a crash.
Alison Avoine (Ma Petite Entreprise) was booted from the race after she gutted out a brutal battle with the broom wagon.
The Frenchwoman was reportedly involved in the same crash as Tomasi and was left way off the back in the final phase of the stage through Lausanne.
The 26-year-old came to the line less than two minutes behind the time cut in what was a heartbreaking early end to her home grand tour.