The disqualification of Kristen Faulkner (Jayco-Alula) after her hard-fought third place finish in this year’s Strade Bianche came as a huge disappointment to anyone who watched the race. Of course, nothing could compare to the disappointment of Faulkner herself.
However, the way the athlete has handled the UCI stripping her of one of her most impressive finishes to date for wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) has been equally impressive.
Her team, Jayco-Alula, released its statement earlier this week, acknowledging the UCI’s decision and accepting responsibility. But it wasn’t until Wednesday of this week that Faulkner herself spoke out.
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Faulkner releases her statement
Faulkner begins her statement by thanking the UCI for “putting in the time and effort” into upholding professional standards in competition. Then, in an incredibly diplomatic way, she proceeds to set the record straight.
“I have never used glucose data in competition, which I provided ample evidence of to the UCI,” she writes. “I complied with all the UCI requests and sent them an honest, detailed explanation with evidence that no race data was ever transmitted during or after the race. I was under the impression that I could race with my device if it did not record any data, because there was no performance advantage whatsoever. The UCI holds the position that wearing a non-connected patch itself—even if there is no transmission of data and no performance advantage whatsoever—is enough to disqualify me.”
Given the debatable nature of the way the UCI enforces rules in general, as well as the well-publicized instances of rules being interpreted differently for men and women in competitive cycling (for example, the DQ of Marianne Vos for “puppy paws” while Filippo Ganna merely received a fine for doing the same thing) the heft with which the UCI is throwing the book at Faulkner starts to seem suspicious.
Faulkner takes it a step further
Faulkner makes another point in her statement. After reiterating her disappointment with the UCI’s decision, she says she hopes that the use of CGM during competition will eventually be allowed. Additionally, she hopes the added importance of glucose monitoring for female athletes is acknowledged.
“I am not asking the UCI to treat glucose monitors differently for men and women. I am asking them to understand the important and unique role they play in women’s health,” Faulkner wrote in response to a comment on on Instagram. “Women lose their periods from underfueling, and men do not. There is an added value for women to know their glucose levels that I would like to be acknowledged.”
Former American cyclocross champion Tim Johnson added his support, not only of Faulkner herself, but also of allowing technology like CGM's into competition. “We’re with you! So bummed this situation occurred in the first place…it’s shortsighted for the tech to be at odds with our sport. It’s embraced everywhere else and only helps an athlete understand their body and eat (more) food to support the effort you’re undertaking.”
With eating disorders being a well-known open secret in professional cycling, embracing technology that encourages riders to fuel enough and when they need to would appear to be in the best interest of the athletes.
For those of us who watched the race, Kristen Faulkner’s place on the podium was earned and beyond well-deserved. One person’s sentiments in their social media message to Faulkner encapsulates our feelings exactly. “Your race was beautiful and exciting to watch, thank you for representing American cyclists.”
Natascha Grief got her first bike shop job before she was old enough to drink. After a six-year stint as a mechanic, earning a couple pro-mechanic certifications and her USA Cycling Race Mechanics license, she became obsessed with framebuilding and decided she wanted to do that next. After Albert Eistentraut literally shooed her off his doorstep, admonishing that if she pursued framebuilding she will be poor forever, she landed an apprenticeship with framebuilder Brent Steelman in her hometown of Redwood City, CA. After that, she spent several years working for both large and not-so-large cycling brands. Somewhere in there she also became a certified bike fitter. Natascha then became a certified personal trainer and spent nine years honing her skills as a trainer and coach, while also teaching Spin. During the dumpster fire that was the year 2020, she opened a fitness studio and began contributing regularly to Runner’s World and Bicycling as a freelance writer. In 2022, she joined the staff of Bicycling as News Editor.
