Lol @ Velon trying to paint it as UCI objecting to them for equality reasons. Trying to paint themselves as the knights in shining armour rather than what they are: another lobby group no different from ASO or Flanders Classics, only with their main assets being wobbly camera footage and the comparatively worthless Hammer Series Joke Show, rather than a prestigious and credible portfolio of races. Yet another press release which reeks heavily of Vaughters' carefully-chosen advertising-friendly media nothingspeak.
Edit: oh, and in case anybody dismisses this as hypocrisy in view of my previous attitudes to the Hammer Series, the idea of Jonathan Vaughters trying to sell himself and an organisation he is so prominent in as being the vehicle of progressive attitudes after the way he treated the women's team he inherited and abandoned is a large part of why I am absolutely not willing to buy this excuse. This reeks of trying to characterise the UCI as a bunch of change-resistant old men (which they are) in order for Velon to portray themselves as inclusive, progressive and appeal to a younger, more "woke" audience with words which are entirely at odds with the actions of people like Vaughters when they actually had the opportunity to do something for women's cycling. And that's why I'm dismissing this as a completely transparent media ploy.