It has not been a great few days for the UCI. Remco Evenepoel was angry over what he thought was shoddy communication about the expiry date of the Specialized head sock helmet, and former pro Michael Roger quit the international cycling body.
On Monday, at the opening stage of the Itzulia Basque Country Evenepoel was head sock free–but his rivals weren’t. The helmet was to be banned April 1–but essentially, that was the last day to actually use it, or something, according to the UCI. That meant other teams that used Specialized TT helmets–including rival Primož Roglič, (Bora-Hansgrohe) used it the last time.
“We received an email confirming that the ban took effect on April 1. Because in Paris-Nice they had already said that it was the last time we were allowed to race with them, Evenepoel said to Sporza. “I don’t think they even know what they are doing there. Apparently on the website it says April 2.”
On Monday, Belgian media was reporting that Rogers was leaving his post as Head of Road Cycling and Innovation. It’s said he was very much against the outrageous helmets and pushed for the ban. However, it doesn’t seem like Evenoepoel’s outburst is necessarily why–he had already posted on Linkedin on Saturday he was leaving. However, were there some disagreements about comms within the UCI which caused him the need to move on?
“After 3.5 great years at the UCI, the time has come for me to bid farewell. It has been a fun chapter full of travel experiences, collaboration, challenges, moments of reflection, valuable learning opportunities and friendships with staff, commissaires and external partners,” his post read. “I look forward to our paths crossing again in the near future!”
When asked by Belgian media about the latest helmet controversy, he was cagey, you might say. He told them he was no longer part of the international governing body as of the end of march.
“That’s why I don’t think it’s appropriate to speak out about the helmet discussion,” he told Het Nieuwsblad.
In March, the UCI announced the ban. “The UCI recently informed Specialized of a review it had conducted on the head sock component of the American company’s TT5 helmet. This review was carried out to determine whether the helmet was in line with article 1.3.033 of the UCI Regulations, which prohibits the use of “non-essential” components that are not exclusively for clothing or safety purposes,” a statement read.
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