The UCI Race Commissaire for the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift excluded Danny Stam, Director Sportif of SD Worx, from the race, and in its announcement highlighted "the particularly dangerous overtaking of other cars and riders during the stage by Mr. Stam and "Mr. Stam's inappropriate comments to the UCI Commissaires Panel.

Mr. Stamm was highly critical of the UCI Commissaires after SD Walks team leader Demi Volering received a 20-second penalty after slipstreaming behind the SD Walks team car after a flat tire on stage 5 to Albi.

Volering was nearly a minute into the slipstream when the team car veered onto the grass on the left side of the road to avoid another vehicle in the convoy. A race commissaire on a motorcycle whistled repeatedly, pointed at the driver, and gestured that he would report the incident.

The 20-second time penalty dropped Vollering to seventh overall, 12 seconds behind overall rival Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) before the decisive mountain stage of the Tour de France Femme.

Stamm was initially fined 200 Swiss francs for his actions and angered that a 20-second penalty could cost SD Walks and Vollering the Tour de France Femme victory in Pau on Sunday.

"I think the UCI, and I know they are always right, but I think they need to look in the mirror and think a little bit about what is happening in the race. I don't think these things make a difference in a stage final, but you can lose the Tour de France in five seconds," Stamm said.

"It's a ridiculous punishment that is not fair in her eyes and in ours. If you look at the men's Tour de France, this is a regular occurrence. It could decide who wins the Tour de France."

The UCI took a very different view, and Stam was excluded from the Tour de France women before the start of stage 6 from Albi to Blagnac near Toulouse.

Asked by Cycling News at the start about her exclusion from the race, Stam replied: "No comment." Anna van der Breggen, who led the SD Walks on the final stage of the Tour de France Femme, also said "no comment."

"The International Cycling Union (UCI) confirms the decision taken by the UCI Commissaires Panel, referee of the Tour de France Fems avec Zwift, against Danny Stam, sport director of the UCI Women's World Team and Team SD Worx." The UCI announced in a statement Friday morning.

"The communiqué of the Commissaires' Committee states that a careful and lengthy review of the available television footage clearly shows that Mr. Stam's overtaking of other vehicles and riders during stage 5 of the competition was particularly dangerous, and that Mr. Stam's UCI Commissaires' Committee, and that in view of the inappropriate remarks made to the Commissaires' Committee, the Committee has imposed the following penalties on the Sporting Director in accordance with Article 2. UCI Regulations 2.12.007/4.7 (final paragraph) and 2.12.007/8.2.2 (final paragraph): fine of CHF 500 and exclusion from the competition."

SD Worx subsequently issued a statement acknowledging Stam's exclusion from the race. It said, "We are surprised that the UCI has imposed such a penalty, but we accept this measure. Perhaps in the first moments we reacted a little too emotionally to Demi Vollering's time penalty. It is unfortunate," he said in a statement.

"With Anna van der Breggen as our first sporting director, we will continue to race and return to focus fully on the race itself as soon as possible. Our mission remains the same: to win the Tour de France. All of us are more than 100% motivated and we will now strive for that."