The much needed UCI loller thread

[ice&fire]

This is being discussed in Pogacar's thread, but it really belongs here:

Jury threatens Tadej Pogačar with Giro d’Italia disqualification over Castelli two-tone maglia rosa skinsuit with purple shorts

'I have my pants but no skin suit, so maybe I can’t attack because I'm not fast’ jokes race leader

www.cyclingnews.com

UCI playing fashion police against an Italian clothing brand in THE Italian race

 

[Berniece]

So ridiculous of the UCI. Sure I also don't like the colour combination, but it's for a good cause. This is why people think UCI are idiots.

 

[Sciatic]

Shows why there’s a good reason for this thread!

 

[Izzyeviel]

Have they banned him yet?

 

[QueenStagiaire]

UCI is wrong when they don‘t write clear rules, UCI is wrong when they do write clear rules…

 

[Elos Anjos]

I'm not sure I'm living in a Kafka novel yet, but giving the benefit of doubt to reality - and that's a loooong if - I would like to witness a headline that stated that the best rider of this golden generation was disqualied for not wearing pink shorts.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Right or wrong in this case they should have threaten the organiser if threats were needed. Going after the rider, now there is an impression Pogi did anything wrong. Imagine the surprise, as rider, when you get a call from UCI threatening you will be disqualified by wearing organiser provided jersey.

LOL WUT

 

[Izzyeviel]

UCI is wrong when they don‘t write clear rules, UCI is wrong when they do write clear rules…

well if your rules say the greatest rider of all time should be dq'd from one of the biggest sporting events on the calendar because the organisers gave him a pair of shorts that were the wrong shade of pink... yes they are wrong.

 

[Unchained]

UCI also runs a clown college!!

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HWFL--c-ccc&pp=ygUUYmFza2V0cyBjbG93biBzY2hvb2w%3D

 

[Nick2413]

Not a fan of the UCI but you have to enforce rules otherwise things can turn into a mess quick. Even if he did it for a good cause, having a special set of rules for certain riders isn’t a good look either. If the organizers really gave him those shorts instead of pink it seems their fault though.

 

[red_flanders]

Not a fan of the UCI but you have to enforce rules otherwise things can turn into a mess quick. Even if he did it for a good cause, having a special set of rules for certain riders isn’t a good look either. If the organizers really gave him those shorts instead of pink it seems their fault though.

There's always room for judgement. Blind adherence to rules is...not really an effective way to manage human endeavors. Threatening to kick out the race leader for wearing the wrong color shorts is idiotic. There are a dozen other ways they could have handled it and still implemented the rules. As you say, there are reasons to adhere to them. But this?

Ego. Posturing. Bureaucracy.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Not a fan of the UCI but you have to enforce rules otherwise things can turn into a mess quick. Even if he did it for a good cause, having a special set of rules for certain riders isn’t a good look either. If the organizers really gave him those shorts instead of pink it seems their fault though.

In that case, shouldn't Wout van Aert have been disqualified from pretty much every single race he's entered for the last two years due to the whole Red Bull non-regulation helmet thing?

The skinsuit/shorts issue is even less of an issue than the helmet because you can at least argue that there's a safety aspect to wearing non-regulation safetywear (even though we all know that the helmet in question is just a paint job, not any fundamental difference to the helmet itself) - but they just fine van Aert each time for the non-regulation helmet, the sponsors basically budget those fines into the sponsorship deal they give him, and the world keeps turning.

 

[Ricco']

Every rule that prevents someone from using a skinsuit on a road stage is a very appropriate rule to my eyes so very good UCI, keep up the good work!

 

[Armchair cyclist]

I'm possibly going to display my ignorance here: I thought a skinsuit was a one-piece item, so what's the excuse about the the shorts of the skinsuit didn't fit?

 

[topcat]

Have they banned him yet?

Cycling news forum - a shorts free discussion thread.

 

[ice&fire]

I'm possibly going to display my ignorance here: I thought a skinsuit was a one-piece item, so what's the excuse about the the shorts of the skinsuit didn't fit?

The part of the skinsuit below the rider's waist was the wrong colour.
Yes, apparently there is a UCI regulation for that applicable to riders wearing any of the distinctive race classification leaders jersey/skinsuit.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

I can't see anything in the rules about this: I can see that one cannot refuse to wear the jersey, but not what colour the lower half of the kit is to be. Can anyone cite the rule that he is thought to have broken?

Pogacar's interview said, unless I misheard, that the shorts were purple because they did not have pink shorts that fitted him. But that is a spurious excuse when speaking of a skinsuit, Maybe it was meant to have been a humourous throwaway line, and probably he didn't imagine that it was going to be a disciplinary issue, but in retrospect it was not helpful.

Has an exoneration been announced, or is he just riding on pending a decision?

 

[ice&fire]

After reading the article in the link below, it looks like the rule was made up in some commissaire's mind, but according to UCI disqualification was never considered and this is a non-event.

So it seems that UCI commissaires and UCI have opposite views on the issue.

IIRC, he was only warned of disqualification if he continued using the "illegal" two-tone skinsuit.

Tadej Pogačar opts for pink on pink at Giro d’Italia to avoid the wrath of the UCI

UCI expected to finally rule on two-tone skinsuits before Friday's time trial stage

www.cyclingnews.com

 

[CyclistAbi]

So disqualification was never at play and i doubt anybody will get a fine. It's more about clarifying on what is allowed and what isn't.

Still there seem to be a catch 22 kind of situation at play. That is according to the organiser rules Pogi must wear the kit provided by the organiser at the TT on Friday. And according to the UCI rules Pogi must not wear the kit provided by organiser at the TT on Friday.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

That is according to the organiser rules Pogi must wear the kit provided by the organiser at the TT on Friday. And according to the UCI rules Pogi must not wear the kit provided by organiser at the TT on Friday.

Presumably somebody at Santini (are they still the kit suppliers for leaders' jerseys?) is stitching together an all pink skinsuit through the night.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Presumably somebody at Santini (are they still the kit suppliers for leaders' jerseys?) is stitching together an all pink skinsuit through the night.

This is Italy so i somehow doubt it and UCI likely to make a ruling an hour before the ITT. They are all just messing with Pogi.

 

[ice&fire]

So disqualification was never at play and i doubt anybody will get a fine. It's more about clarifying on what is allowed and what isn't.

Still there seem to be a catch 22 kind of situation at play. That is according to the organiser rules Pogi must wear the kit provided by the organiser at the TT on Friday. And according to the UCI rules Pogi must not wear the kit provided by organiser at the TT on Friday.

First thing UCI needs to clarify is why the GC leader can't wear different shades of pink above/below his waist but the points classification leader can wear different shades of ciclamino.

 

[CyclistAbi]

So the outcome was UCI backed down and organiser provided jersey was legit. Pogi more or less a bystander in this story, due to being current GC leader.

 

[Berniece]

Another week, another time the UCI show they are incapable of running the show. In this case by acting as emotionless robots.

Lucinda Brand stopped for her fallen colleague (Elisa Balsamo) because she saw it was really bad, and it was only a couple meters before the finish. The UCI decided to not give her the same time as the peloton, but losing 3min.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1791193301195927616

 

[Netserk]

Those are the rules. They should be emotionless.