Kristen Faulkner 'very disappointed in UCI decision' to DQ her from Strade Bianche

Kristen Faulkner, who was disqualified from the Strade Bianche podium for wearing a blood glucose monitor during the race, has said she is "very disappointed" in the UCI's decision. The device was not transmitting any data during the race, she said.

In an official statement posted on social media, the US rider, who races with Team Jayco AlUla, added that she hoped the devices would one day be allowed in races. 

"I believe they are a valuable tool for athletes - especially women - to take care of our physical health, though that is a conversation for another time," she said.

Supersapiens, the manufacturer of Faulkner's device, issued a statement of its own on social media, saying: "We request that the UCI start to see CGMS [continuous glucose monitors] as a tool for athletes to protect their bodies, not as some sort of performance enhancement device. This isn't about going faster, this is about health," it said.

The Italian Classic race, which takes in the white roads of Tuscany, was won by SD Worx rider Demi Vollering, who outsprinted her team-mate Lotte Kopecky, after overhauling Faulkner, one of the remnants of an earlier escape.

Faulkner originally came in third rider behind the pair, but was spotted wearing the glucose monitor in photos of the race and on the podium, and the UCI subsequently investigated. After Faulkner was relegated, Danish rider Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez) moved up from fourth to take her podium place.

The 30-year-old Alaska-born rider said she had mistakenly thought the small disc, worn on the upper arm, would not need to be removed as it was not in use at the time.

"I have never used glucose data in competition, which I provided ample evidence of to the UCI... I was under the impression I could race with my device if it did not record any data, because there was no performance advantage whatsoever," said Faulkner.

In a separate post she said: "I hope we can use my situation to educate the world about the link between menstrual cycles, and glucose levels, and overall women's health."