Two previous Zaaf Cycling Team members have actually been obstructed by the Spanish Federation from racing at this year’s very first appropriate phase race of the season La Vuelta Fememnina, which started the other day.
In what comes as more problem for the beleaguered Spanish females’s group and its members — and now, even previous members, with New Zealand’s Michaela Drummond, who left Zaaf on April 17 and signed an agreement on April 28 to race with Farto-BTC, validating through her social networks that she will not be at the start of the seven-day race.
Zaaf had actually suffered a mass exodus in recent weeks in the middle of allegations of not paying incomes to its members because the start of the season. On Saturday, the group lost its UCI status after Ebtissam Zayed Ahmed ended up being the 8th bicyclist to stop the Spanish group within a month, which left it with simply 7 riders — listed below UCI’s minimum requirement.
> Zaaf loses UCI group status after 8th bicyclist leaves group
Drummond likewise said that her health had actually been suffering due to the recent occasions with Zaaf and the Spanish Federation’s choice to decline her from signing up with the brand-new group, although her previous colleagues have actually effectively moved to brand-new Continental and WWT Teams, has actually come as another blow.
“I can’t comprehend why the Spanish Cycling Federation does not follow the example set by the UCI,” she composed.
Italian bicyclist Debora Silvestri, who ended up being the ninth rider to reveal departure from the group the other day, likewise will not have the ability to participate at Vuelta. She said: “I will not state absolutely nothing more from what media are stating, just things have not gone how they needed to go.
“I simply desire state a huge best of luck and huge thanks to all the good ladies I fulfilled in this group. Its not completion, perhaps some news are coming.”
Last week, Vuelta organisers Unipublic had actually verified that Zaaf’s management chose to take out of the week-long race and the group won’t be lining up at the start in Torrevieja — the very first edition because its growth from the guys’s race.
Meanwhile, Jumbo Visma took the win in the other day’s opening time-trial phase at the Spanish Tour, the Dutch group setting a time of 18:03 that none of the 8 other groups might beat. Canyon-SRAM came 2nd and was a 2nd slower, with Trek-Segafredo 3rd at 18:12 minutes.
