Deja vu? Jan-Willem van Schip booted from yet another race for UCI-illegal bike setup

Jan-Willem van Schip (Parkhotel Valkenburg), infamously disqualified from the 2021 Baloise Belgium Tour for using handlebars the UCI deemed illegal, has found himself in the firing line of cycling's governing body once again.

This week, after stage 1 of the NIBC Tour of Holland, the Dutchman has been disqualified again.

Unlike his prior transgression relating to handlebars, and despite running wild handlebars that will almost certainly fall foul of the UCI's minimum width rule set to come into force in 2026, the apparent reason for this week's ruling surrounds his seatpost.

"His seatpost allegedly does not meet UCI requirements," Parkhotel Valkenburg team manager Paul Tabak said in a statement to WielerFlits. "But he has been riding with one for several years and has documentation that it is permitted."

In photos shared to X, his seatpost is shown with a clear kink forwards, steepening the angle between his bottom bracket and his saddle and putting him in a much more forward position over the bike.

He has paired this with an extremely long stem, its exact length is unconfirmed, but it is easily longer than the usual 130mm used by riders in the pro peloton.

Notably, according to Tabak, the decision wasn't made by commissaires on the ground, but came directly from the UCI headquarters in Switzerland.

"The UCI commissaires in the NIBC Tour of Holland did not disqualify Jan-Willem. They were overruled by Switzerland. The UCI said they had to disqualify Van Schip because he was riding with an illegal seatpost."

As is common, Van Schip – who once had a photo of the legendarily maverick Scottish racer Graham Obree, who also fell foul of UCI equipment regulations back in the day, on the wall in a house he shared with Taco Van der Hoorn – adopts a position that pushes the rules to the extreme. Although unconfirmed, Cyclingnews understands the UCI's motivations relate to how his seatpost affects his centre of gravity on the bike.

Sources close to Cyclingnews have confirmed that the UCI has been researching rider centre of gravity in relation to bike design, as a means to offset to the trend towards more aggressive, forward-leaning positions on bikes, essentially to reduce the chance of over-the-bar crashes in the event of hitting potholes or road furniture when racing.

Wielerflits also reports that Parkhotel Valkenburg has appealed the ruling, citing documentation that proves the seatpost is approved by the UCI.

"Together with Toot Engineering [the manufacturer of the handlebar] and Tavelo [the team's bike sponsor], we are in discussions with [the UCI in] Switzerland. They will review our arguments," Tabak explained after the ban.

Cyclingnews reached out to Toot Engineering, who confirmed the handlebar - its Marassha model - is UCI approved and legal, but that the seatpost, made by Tavelo, wasn't registered with the UCI as part of the frame's homologation.