The UCI is clamping down on ice socks stuffed into jerseys
In the midst of a new heatwave in Europe, the UCI is clamping down on its rule forbidding riders from stuffing anything other than a radio inside a jersey. At the start of the TTT in Barcelona where temperatures exceeded 30ºC in the heat of the day, UCI officials were seen demanding that riders remove ice socks before taking the start.
"It changes the morphology of the riders' shape," a commissaire told Cyclingnews in the warm-up zone behind the start ramp, citing article 1.3.032 of the UCI's technical regulations. "I know it’s only a little thing, but you have to draw the line. If you allow sometimes but not others, it’s not fair. And if you allow a little, riders may take more."
The rule in question dictates that any non-essential item or accessory is forbidden, and no item worn by a rider should modify the individual's morphology. Ice socks – a cut-up stocking stuffed with ice cubes and tied with a knot – are a common sight in the summer months, and while their necessity could certainly be argued for while riding in direct sunlight during a heatwave, it's also hard to argue they don't also act as a temporary fairing of sorts.
While it's not one of the most rigorously pursued regulations, some teams in Barcelona told Cyclingnews that they've seen increasing instances of commissaires addressing this infraction.
"It was shared in the Tour de France equipment meeting," said Jenco Drost, Visma-Lease a Bike's head of performance equipment. "But with this weather, riders try to keep it as long as possible."
