Nothing says bike racing is back without a nice little UCI controversy.
Some weird stuff occurred in Italy over the weekend, namely the Memorial Polese. Filippo D’Aiuto on the Conti team, Team General Store initially crossed the finish line first after an impressive 60-km solo effort. Yet, the UCI later disqualified him, citing noncompliance with handlebar regulations.
The team explained that D’Aiuto’s bike had been fully compliant at the start, but a crash on a gravel section bent the brake levers inward. “The crash changed the position of the levers, bringing them closer than allowed,” the team said.
The new rules
New 2026 rules require handlebars to measure at least 400mm wide, with a minimum distance of 280mm between the inner points of brake levers or hoods.
D’Aiuto, told Ciclismoweb in an interview: “I won the race, crashed, and my levers bent inward. They took my victory away over technicalities.”
The official winner, Lorenzo Magli of Team Hopplà, declined the top step on the podium in solidarity, calling D’Aiuto “the real winner.”
While this happened in a smaller Italian race, it highlights a possibly tricky problem for bigger events. Would ever happen at the WorldTour level? Could it? And if it did…then what?
After a crash, riders sometimes have no choice but to stay on their busted bike if the team car is too far away. Or if there’s no teammate around (with a bike close to your size.) We’ve seen it happen.
That split-second decision to not risk getting turfed–and instead getting a spare, could cost precious time, or even a victory. if equipment rules are enforced strictly. Imagine a rider wearing the leader’s jersey finishing on a bent bike and being disqualified.
It would not be the best headline for the UCI, no sir. Just imagine the headlines if Tadej Pogačar got DQ’ed for his bars being bent? Surely that would never happen, right? The UCI would never…
…right?
The bar rule was part of several new measures that aimed to help with rider safety, including gear restrictions. The handlebar regulation was also severely criticized by those in women’s cycling.
“The women’s peloton is being forgotten again,” Belgian former pro Ine Beyen said to Sporza. “You can’t just compare men and women physically — most women have narrower shoulders. It still has to be comfortable.
The gear restriction pilot project was ultimately struck…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…