{"id":69154,"date":"2025-08-14T14:00:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T14:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/69154\/"},"modified":"2025-08-14T14:00:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T14:00:09","slug":"riders-group-calls-on-uci-to-implement-weight-safefguards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/69154\/","title":{"rendered":"Riders Group Calls on UCI to Implement Weight Safefguards"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Cyclists\u2019 Alliance group representing the women\u2019s peloton has piled into \u201cthe weight debate\u201d and pressured the UCI to better safeguard athlete health.<\/p>\n

The TCA statement<\/a> issued a statement Tuesday to address a freshly raging conversation concerning body composition, eating disorders, and hormonal health.<\/p>\n

Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot<\/a> and Demi Vollering<\/a> were repeatedly questioned on the topics while they raced to the podium of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe current system is not set up to protect female health,\u201d warned TCA president and recently retired Olympic star Grace Brown.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our duty to continue educating and advocating for better standards that allow women to perform with well-fuelled, strong, and happy bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mandatory screenings to provide early warnings
\n\"\"The TCA is working to promote measures that will ensure longer term athlete health. (Photo: Gruber Images \/ Velo)<\/p>\n

The Cyclists\u2019 Alliance turned the pressure on the UCI with its statement Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The group called on the governing body to collaborate on its previous proposal that yearly screenings for RED-S and bone density become mandatory. Such safeguards were recently introduced in sport climbing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Athletes suffer from \u201cRelative Energy Deficiency in Sport\u201d (RED-S) after prolonged periods of negative energy balance, whether through restrictive eating or over-training. It leads to a cascade of hormonal impacts that impact both physical and mental health.<\/p>\n

U.S. star Veronica Ewers was forced to put her racing career on hiatus<\/a> for nine months while she battled the condition.<\/p>\n

Also read: Pro cycling\u2019s curse of watts per kilo<\/a><\/p>\n

In the short term, yearly tests for RED-S and \u201cbrittle bones\u201d would act as early indications of weight mis-management. In the longer term, they could prevent potentially life-long complications.<\/p>\n

Outside the UCI scope?<\/p>\n

The TCA told Velo that the initial proposals it provided to UCI medical director Dr. Xavier Bigard in November 2024 appear to have been shelved.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Bigard confirmed that this topic has been one of his major concerns for several years, and a topic that is \u2018being extensively discussed within the UCI Medical Commission,’\u201d TCA director Deena Blacking told Velo.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe suggested that the issue was complex and that it could not be included in UCI regulations because, according to him, RED-S requires a clinical diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blacking added that The Cyclists\u2019 Alliance is hoping to form a positive, collaborative relationship with the UCI over what is a pressing topic.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did say that the UCI could integrate recommendations and propose a course of action, but we haven\u2019t seen anything published,\u201d Blacking said.<\/p>\n

The UCI told Velo this week that it \u201chas been working on this topic for several months and is currently continuing its discussions with its medical experts. An official announcement will be made in due course.\u201d<\/p>\n

No further timelines were provided.<\/p>\n

\u2018A dangerous moment\u2019
\n\"TheWeight and hormonal health became a hot topic at the Tour de France Femmes. (Photo: Gruber Images \/ Velo)<\/p>\n

Athlete weight is one of the long-standing taboos of both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s peloton.<\/p>\n

While team nutritionists and \u201cthe carbohydrate revolution\u201d are helping push the focus toward watts rather than weight, there\u2019s no escaping that cycling is a sport governed by gravity.<\/p>\n

C\u00e9drine Kerbaol and Clara Koppenberg recently joined Vollering and Ferrand-Pr\u00eavot in discussing the pressure of \u201cracing weight\u201d<\/a> and the position of athletes as role models.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are in a dangerous moment. There are many people who have won big races with a very light weight. Indirectly, the young girls who try to perform will take them as an example,\u201d Kerbaol told French outlet l\u2019Humanit\u00e9<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are in a period of greater visibility where everyone wants to progress faster, stronger, have more watts, be lighter. In recent years, it has been very fashionable to count every gram on the plates,\u201d Kerbaol said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must not fall into a form of dehumanization and infantilization.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Women in sport receive a disproportionate amount of scrutiny about their bodies compared to men\u2019
\n\"TCAVollering was hit with a wave of questions about her weight. (Photo: Gruber Images\/Velo)<\/p>\n

Disordered eating, RED-S, and low bone density are prevalent in both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s peloton.<\/p>\n

The hollow cheeks and venous calves of the men\u2019s Tour de France highlight how hard riders cut kilos for peak season.<\/p>\n

Nonenethless, the TCA highlighted there\u2019s a mismatch in how weight issues are addressed.<\/p>\n

Vollering claimed \u201c80 percent\u201d of the questions she was asked during her final Tour de France Femmes press conference addressed her weight.<\/p>\n

Tadej Poga\u010dar and Jonas Vingegaard received no such scrutiny.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re disappointed that women in sport receive a disproportionate amount of scrutiny about their bodies compared to their male counterparts. We encourage all of the voices in cycling to be leaders rather than followers, and to help to change the dialogue in elite sport when it comes to weight and women\u2019s bodies,\u201d read the TCA statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope for a future where women\u2019s bodies are not so heavily scrutinised, whether in a bike race or in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Vollering(Photo: Demi Vollering Instagram<\/a> )<\/p>\n