kerrylitka.com|small things considered

I’m not sure if you’re aware of this or not, but the UCI has this rule about how far forward in relation to the bottom bracket a saddle is allowed to be. It has to do mainly with time trial bikes, since they have 78degree seat tube angles and more forward facing positions.

Rule # 1.3.013 says that the tip of the rider’s saddle shall be no further forward than 5cm behind the bike’s bottom bracket.

1.3.019 The distances mentioned in footnotes to the articles 1.3.012 and 1.3.015 above may be reduced where that is necessary for morphological reasons. By morphological reasons should be understood everything to do with the size and limb-length of the rider. Any rider who, for these reasons, considers that he needs to use a bicycle of lesser dimensions than those given shall inform the Commissaires Panel to that effect when presenting his licence. In that case, the Panel may conduct the following test. Using a plumb-line, they shall check to see whether, when pedalling, the point of the rider’s knee when at its foremost position passes beyond a vertical line passing through the pedal spindle.

Anyway, in the US they never applied this rule until this year, and only at NRC races. But when I built my TT bike last year, I knew about that rule. I presented my bikes to the commissaires last year and they told me not to worry about it, that I most likely fell into the “morphological exceptions category”.

I get to the time trial start ramp with 9minutes to go before my start time, and am told to check my bike in. They were doing bike checks and had this special stand thingy to measure them with. All of the women with TT bikes were freaking out because with like, 5minutes to go they were told their saddles were too far forward and they had to move them back. Fortunately there were neutral support mechanics there, but it was a frenzy with girls running around trying to fix their saddles. I calmly walk down to neutral to get my rear derailleur adjusted, and the mechanics say “You know you’re gonna have to move your saddle, right?”

I said “No, I won’t. I researched this last year when I built the bike. It is technically illegal, but there is an exception in the rule book for ‘morphological reasons’. I believe I meet those criteria.”

So the mechanics follow me up to the check in just in case I need to switch it, and I hand my bike over to Judge # 1. Judge # 1 puts it in the stand and says “Uh, did you ever measure this before?”

Me: “Yeah, when I built it last year.”

Judge #1 “Your saddle is 7cm ahead of the bottom bracket.” Most girls were between 2 and 4 cm ahead. I was off the freaking chart.

Me: “Yeah, but it’s like that even on my road bike. You can’t apply that rule to bikes this small or riders this small. I’m freakishly small, I get an exception.”

Judge #1: “Well, go to Judge # 2, he’ll measure you on the bike and then see if you pass the test.”

Over to Judge #2, I have to get onto my bike and they hold me while he puts my foot in the 3 o’clock position, tells me “Now just sit the way you would if you were racing.”
I know some riders will deliberately exaggerate their position to make it look legal. I don’t know how to do that so I just sat normal.

Judge #2 measures and says “Yep, you’re fine.”

I walked into line with 1 minute to spare before my start.

For the very first time in my life in cycling, it was an ADVANTAGE to be unusually short.

The race went on without much in the way of interest, although I can say that after 4 messed up/put a foot down/freak out time trial starts in a row, I finally got over my mental block and rode the ramp no problem. Yeah, I know I’ve been doing this for 10 years and that in my very first Fitchburg in my very first time trial ever I had no issue with a ramped held start.

While racing I had the last song that was on my iPod going in constant replay in my head for the duration. Since I like to recreate what goes on in my mind with as much clarity as possible on here, I share this now with you: