A press release on the UCI website (opens in new tab) has today confirmed the new Road Equipment Registration Procedure will be in place for this year’s Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift.
As outlined in our in-depth analysis of the new proposed procedure last week after the 17-page document appeared on the UCI website, the new procedure will mean that teams must register every piece of ‘critical equipment’ they intend to use during both races this summer.
“This procedure strengthens the UCI’s monitoring of equipment for regulatory compliance,” the release states, giving us an idea as to the motivation behind introducing the no-doubt-labour-intensive procedure. “It is a further assurance that equipment complies – particularly in terms of safety and commercial availability – with the existing UCI Regulations that teams have always been required to follow.
The Tour de France often sees new bikes and prototype components used by teams. Last year, for example, Giant teased the new Propel for the first time at the race underneath Bike-Exchange Jayco, while elsewhere both Trek-Segafredo riders and Ineos Grenadiers riders used new Trek and Kask helmets respectively. The new registration procedure, according to the UCI, “will allow riders and teams to focus on their performance without having to undertake a last-minute procedure in relation to new equipment, or risk being forbidden just before the start of the race from using equipment that has not been checked beforehand.”
“From now on, teams are required to submit a list of the equipment they will be using more than one month in advance,” the statement continues. “The equipment will then be checked by the UCI, which will give the green light for its use during the races or not.”
It’s clear that the new guidelines will mean a lot more work is required, by both teams and the UCI itself, to ensure riders are legally allowed to use specific or new equipment for the races.
A key part of the new procedure is the requirement for all frames used in the races to be fitted with RFID (radio frequency identification) tags. These tamper-proof tags cannot be removed from equipment without being destroyed and will be applied to all pre-registered frames at each team’s respective hotel in the days leading up to the race start.
These tags will be scanned by the UCI at various periods during the race to ensure the equipment being used by…
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