UCI stand by race radio ban

Following the withdrawal of UCI commissaries at Sunday’s Trofeo Palma, after the participating teams refused to ride without race radios, the UCI has no plans to withdraw the ban on radios.

“It’s a decision that has been taken after consulting all parts of cycling sport – organisers, riders, even the press, because don’t forget that there are a lot of people from the press, and especially television, who say that cycling with ear-pieces is not very spectacular any more”, the UCI Press Officer, Enrico Campani, told Cyclingnews.

“At the last meeting of the UCI management board at St Wendel in Germany, the President of the UCI, Pat McQuaid, submitted the matter to the UCI management board once again, and the stance of the management board was very clear – that the decision has been taken in the best interest of the sport of cycling. That is crucial for us, the UCI always takes decisions in any different area of our influence – equipment, anti-doping, general rules, in the best interest of cycling.”

“We want to remind everyone that the decision has been taken with the participation of all the parties involved in the cycling movement. So the decision remains.”

The ban on radios providing contact between team cars and riders was brought in last year in 1.2 and 2.2 level races (including all u23 races and women’s stage races), and has been extended in 2011 to cover all races ranked 1.HC/2.HC and below, and will be rolled out to World Calendar races in 2012.