Elbow Pads at the Local Crit, the UCI 3:1 Rule and “Concern” for Rider Safety

Other than those involved in the sport, the typical American doesn’t come close to understanding the dangers of every discipline of cycling. They see us in our kits and funny little clippy-clop shoes and just wonder how tough can cyclists be.

While I don’t want to encourage injuries in others, I’d like to see the carnage that would ensue from an NFL or NHL game being played with the players equipped with nothing but a helmet, base layer and shoes/skates. And somehow up the speed to 45 mph. And replace the field with asphalt. Yes, the impacts aren’t as frequent in road racing but the hits are far more devastating.

I’m not advocating pads for cycling, although as an occasional hockey player, I’ve joked with my friends frequently about showing up for the local crit with elbow pads wearing a Red Wings jersey. There may be some confusion over who the Yzerman guy is at the starting line and whether or not I realize that double-knit polyester isn’t real breathable, but they would get the point at the finish line sprint.

Seeing the rash of broken collarbones that has hit the peloton already this year, it makes me wonder where the UCI’s true priorities are when it comes to rider safety. I know the European way is taking a long time of seeing a ‘trend’ occur before deeming it acceptable (i.e. the German Federation allowing those crazy 29’ers on the singletrack now). But the advancements in carbon technology has far outpaced the UCI weight limit without concern for safety and the UCI seems to be far more concerned with establishing what they consider to be competitive advantage than rider safety. The fracas over the Specialized Shiv violating the artful interpretation of the 3:1 rule is an example. Gone from the Shiv and Giant’s Trinity Advanced are the nose cones that arguably provided greater stability, ergo better rider safety. Reports from the Paris-Nice prologue indicated people believed Contador was fighting the apparently less stable, cone-less Shiv.

Reading the account of how Radio Shack rider Gert Steegmans had his bike literally lift up from an extreme crosswind during the Paris-Nice prologue, slamming him to the pavement at 45+ mph. While it would cause some pre-race chaos, if the UCI is truly concerned about rider safety, they should have officials check the course to check for weather conditions and have an equipment requirement. If prior to a TT, crosswinds exist of over 25 mph, require the riders to ditch the tri-spoke and super-deep front rim – make it a max 35mm rim depth spoked front wheel. If everybody is equally affected, then any concern over competitive advantage shouldn’t exist.

Checking my complete disdain for the sport at the door – NASCAR has realized that speed isn’t hard to come by. However, they consider a number of factors in the setup to ensure stability and safety. In spite of all the advancements in cycling equipment, the overall percentage of speed increase since Greg Lemond TT’d to victory over Laurent Fignon hasn’t threatened the sound barrier.

Incremental increases in technology drive the bicycle industry. Living in a litigious age, most manufacturers aren’t going to create a speed wobble to create a .83% gain in overall speed. It’s time for the UCI to quit attempting to preserve a semblance of tradition fighting speed in the name of safety and actually being concerned for the riders propelling themselves down the tarmac.