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Tour de France favourite Vollering received the unusual 20-second time penalty for drafting the team car for too long after a wheel change due to a puncture.
"It's totally ridiculous - if someone punctures and you bring them back to the caravan, and you pass a couple of cars, and then go to the side - that you get punished for 20 seconds, it's ridiculous," said Sports Director Stam, who was driving the team car.
Stam lodged an official protest, but the race jury's decision remained unchanged.
"The UCI said that it is tolerated normally but not in the Tour de France," Stam said.
The proper procedure is for the car to draft the rider to the back of the convoy in the event of a mechanical, and then the rider makes the rest of their way without the assistance of the car. However, in this case, the SD-Worx car, driven by Danny Stam with Anna van der Breggen, continued to have Vollering draft behind.
The penalty saw Vollering drop from second to fifth in the general classification. She now sits 12 seconds behind main GC rival, and 2022 Tour de France Femmes winner Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar).
Stam received a fine of 200 CHF (A$343), while Vollering was fined 100 CHF (A$154). Vollering was also docked 10 points in the points classification and two in the mountains classification.
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Stage 5 - Daily Highlights - Tour de France Femmes 2023
"This time penalty falls raw on us," said van de Breggen.
"I cycled at the highest level for a long time. It used to be allowed to come back behind the car after equipment failure or a flat tyre. The penalty makes it seem that we are doing something totally unheard of, while in reality, riders return behind the car every day.
"Not bringing your rider back after she was dropped herself is logical. But everyone understands that a sport director tries to help their rider after bad luck. So that is why bringing back behind the car a rider who has been knocked back for that reason is usually tolerated.
"It is the first time I have experienced such a punishment. The moment the commissioner indicated we should stop, Demi rode from car to car herself back to the tail of the peloton. Therefore, for Demi, this punishment is unjustified."
Stam was less retrained in his assessment of the situation.
"If the decision is made by someone who sits in the car, probably never was on the bike, then I am disappointed in this kind of thing," Stam said.
"I think also, the UCI, we know they are always right, but they also need to look in the mirror and think a little bit about what is happening in the race, and I don't think something like this makes a difference in the final of a stage, but we can lose the Tour de France on five seconds."
Before Vollering left the back of the car to chase back onto the peloton, the SD Worx car dodged a vehicle filtering its way back down the convoy by leaving the road briefly. This adds to the complexity of the situation when considering Vollering's options for keeping safe while riding through this chaotic section of the road.
A race commissaire on a motorbike then waved angrily at Vollering and the team car indicating Vollering needed to move on.
"I passed a couple of cars in the caravan, and they found it too much. [The commissaire] didn't say much because the window stayed closed," Stam said.
"He said that I needed to go behind my rider, and if you look at the TV, I did that directly. It is also strange that we didn't get a warning, and they didn't say you need to go behind your rider but directly punished us with 20 seconds."
While all eyes remain on the upcoming battle between Vollering and van Vleuten as the Tour de France Femmes hits the decisive final stages of the race, the time penalty, and the logic behind it, are sure to leave a bitter taste in the team, as well as fans and riders alike if it affects the final outcome of the race.
"It is a ridiculous punishment that, in her eyes and our eyes, is not fair. If you look at the men's Tour de France, you see this happen daily. It can be a decision as to who wins the Tour de France," Stam said.
"I hope the UCI looks in the mirror on Sunday and they have the right winner, and if it was in a fair way."
The race jury cited Article 12.2.007 point 4.7 for their sanctions, the same used to fine Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers) 20 seconds on the GC but only four points in the sprinter's classification.
Rodriguez's penalty came on Stage 20 of the men's Tour de France and ultimately didn't change his position in the GC, where he finished fifth overall.
