The UCI has fired back after Belgian regulators announced a formal investigation into its plan to test gear-ratio restrictions in men’s and women’s pro road racing.
The Belgian Competition Authority said Thursday it had opened an inquiry into the UCI’s “adoption of a technical standard limiting the maximum gear ratio allowed in professional road cycling events.” The move comes a day after SRAM, one of cycling’s biggest component makers, announced it was taking the governing body to court over the same rule.
Unfair to riders?
SRAM argued in an open letter that the UCI’s cap on maximum gearing was unfair to riders and distorted innovation in equipment. The company said its lawsuit aimed to defend both athletes’ choice and consumer access, adding the rule would undermine developments in drivetrain technology.
The test is scheduled for the Tour of Guangxi in October. The UCI said the idea was recommended by SafeR. That is a group representing riders, teams, organizers and the federation — and was designed to reduce crash risks.
In a sharply worded statement, the UCI said it was “puzzled” by the Belgian authority’s release, arguing the regulator hadn’t even served it with the complaint and had omitted key facts. “Only then would the UCI potentially consider any changes to the regulations,” the federation said, noting the trial was exploratory and not binding.
Michael Barry says gear restrictions are not the answer
Even more, the UCI insisted the probe ignored the central point: “the test that will be conducted by the UCI is aimed at exploring measures aimed at increasing rider safety, which is a fundamental prerogative of all sport governing bodies.”
The federation added it was “confident” the measure complied with Belgian and EU law. “It is not the role of competition law to lead to a ‘levelling down’ in regulatory and safety standards,” the statement read.
The criticism follows many other pros who have said the restrictions won’t actually help with rider safety.