If you hadn’t seen it yet, the latest news in cycling is that the UCI has decided to ban the Specialized Shiv time trial bike two days before the final time trial of a race that started three days ago.
Apparently, the bike, which debuted in the spring of 2009, is not within the legal parameters of bike design because of some boxy part that is built into the headtube. And apparently it took the UCI nearly an entire year to decide that the bike is illegal – after allowing it into competition. Instead of ruling on said bike before the most recent race actually started, or maybe waiting until after the race finished, the rocket scientists over at the UCI decided to declare the bike illegal in the middle of a stage race, forcing team Astana to have to find eight replacement time trial bikes in under 48 hours time…when their entire staff is stuck in Portugal in the middle of a stage race – because apparently they have nothing better to do.
I won’t delve into the UCI’s moratorium on innovation and technology – that’s a whole other rant. What I will go into is the asinine manner in which the UCI makes decisions on the legality of equipment. For example, making a decision that a piece of equipment as integral to the sport as a bicycle is illegal in the middle of a competition is not a great way to handle things. It causes one to wonder what would happen if the UCI were in charge of other sports?
I’ve been watching the Olympics pretty much nonstop since they started 11 days ago because when you are an athlete in a fringe sport, that’s what you do – support other fringe sport athletes. I do not watch football, basball, or basketball on TV but I will watch virtually any Olympic Sport (except Ice Dancing…I have to draw the line at Ice Dancing). I’ve learned a lot about rules and regulations regarding judging and equipment choices and what’s considered a disqualification in a variety of sports. It seems that for the most part, the federations of these sports has their act together (although I am sure any athlete or coach within those sports could probably argue otherwise).
Imagine if the UCI were in charge of the Winter Olympics – the possibilities are endless.
If the UCI were in charge…
A ruling would be made after the short program but before the free skate that certain combinations of jumps were illegal and skaters would have 24 hours to rechoreograph their routines
A ruling would be made after the downhill but before the slalom in combined ski events that the parabolic skis used in slalom are not allowed and skiers would have to use whatever skis were used in the 1980s..and they’d have approximately 2 hours to find replacement skis.
Skeleton riders would be informed that their forward facing position is not legal, and they would have to ride in a modified cobra yoga position to ensure that they are not getting too much of an aerodynamic advantage.
Upon arriving at the Olympic Games from all over the world, Bobsled teams would be informed that their aerodynamic sled was not legal and they would then be forced to bolt pieces of plywood onto the sides of the sled to make it less aero…
I realize these examples are extreme, but they are analogous to what’s going in the Volta ou Argave at the moment. I’m not in charge of anything in cycling, but if I were I would make a decision that all new equipment that teams were proposing to use had to be put before a committee for review prior to the start of the season. How hard would it be to submit your time trial bike or aero helmet or whatever to a review board in November or December and rule on it then? If teams were given new equipment after the official review period ends, they can either request a special review process (which would be completed before the start of a major event), or perhaps the review board could meet quarterly to assess any new pieces of equipment that are introduced to racing after the initial season opening review date. It doesn’t seem that difficult to me, and all the UCI has to do is state that equipment that was legal in prior seasons continues to be legal unless there is a change made to the equipment. All changes must be submitted for review. This would eliminate the rubbish of running around in the middle of a race trying to get 8 replacement team bikes from an off shore manufacturer because some old guy with a stick firmly lodged in his ass doesn’t like the position of your aerobars.
February 22nd, 2010 | 
