The UCI has published a list of equipment registered for inspection at the upcoming 2023 UCI Track World Championships in Glasgow. The track worlds commence on August 3 and double up as the final chance for federations and manufacturers to register equipment they plan to use at the Olympic Games in Paris next summer.
As part of the UCI’s Track Equipment Registration Process all new components must be used in competition ahead of the Olympic Games. The purpose of the registration process is, as the UCI lays out, to ensure the “fair and equitable access to equipment in cycling events and providing a level playing field for all competitors.”
The new rules first came into affect ahead of the Tokyo Games and equipment listed in the UCI Final Equipment List Tokyo 2020 is carried over for Paris. As such, the titles alone of the two new lists now available on the UCI website promise fascinating reading, namely the “List of Equipment Registered for Inspection 2023” (PDF) and the “Provisional List of Equipment – Paris 2024.” [NOTE: This link is an Excel document download.] Delving into the documents is like a treasure chest for any tech-loving nerd.
While the 2023 inspection list offers very few details on any of the new products as yet, it does contain almost 400 new models of frames, wheels, helmets, and clothing from a host of brands. The Paris 2024 provisional list provides a bit more detail with price and website for every product, although most are simply links to the brand home page right now.
Almost every brand we contacted this evening was quite surprised to see the list was already published and seemed just as interested as us to check it out.
Delving into the list there is clearly a lot of new equipment on the way to Glasgow with a few items of particular interest. Take Hope’s submissions for example: is the British brand about to break the internet again with a new HBT Paris frame among the new frames listed for inspection? There is also seemingly a new BMC Trackmachine, while Factor has a frame listed with the name “Pursuit Bike.” Pinarello has its 3D-printed Bolide F HR 3D listed alongside a Bolide F HR C, while Ridley also has a new Arena track bike among the listings.
There are new wheels from Campagnolo, Zipp, Princeton CarbonWorks, DT Swiss, Aerocoach, Revolver, and more, while Wattshop, Deda, Aerocoach, Look, Lotus, Profile Design, and Sync Ergonomics all have new “extensions” on the list.
It’s “textiles,” though, that make up the vast majority of the list. There’s a host of new clothing from AGU, Castelli, Vorteq, Kalas, Q36.5, and BioRacer, each with a long list of new items for approval. NoPinz, Assos, and others also have new clothing on the list. There’s a host of skinsuits, overshoes, socks and gloves.
Finally, in what must be a sign of something exclusive forced to adhere to the commercialisation rules, there is a host of wheels and handlebars from a TBC manufacturer. All that suggests that Track World Championships will be a festival of new tech; we’ll have an eye on the action to see what shows up.
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