I don’t know if this is an Europe vs USA issue, but I get the impression that most serious racers in Europe does some UCI sanctioned races during the season.
For me it’s even worse, since my local practice crit is UCI sanctioned.
In my experience, it varies locally. In Japan, the rules were a mixture of UCI and local rules (by the JCF). E. g. my helmet had to be approved, which meant I needed a sticker. This sticker is included by default if you purchase a compliant helmet — in Japan. I had bought mine on Wiggle, so I had to source a sticker and retrofit. Other UCI rules (like junior gearing) were meticulously checked. I think this is only relevant if you wanted to start in the analog of Cat 1–5 (called E1–E3).
A locally organized race in Austria on the other hand had no formal checks. They didn’t have the resources to check and the race was not sanctioned.
I have yet to do races in Germany (where I currently live).
Like others have said before, UCI rules do dictate bike development. My aero road bike’s frame is UCI compliant (as per the rules that were in place in 2021), so the tube shapes are less deep than newer frames.
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You can make it 3. It won’t matter.
What I don’t understand is that it’s perfectly legal to ride the entire race with your hands right up against the stem. Essentially making your bars 2 hands width wide. It’s also a position out of reach of the brakes. So no matter how wide or narrow your bars are they might as well be about 30cm wide in that position which would be illegal but it’s legal.
It’s like the sock length rule. “Leg warmers” which might as well be a thin aero material can cover the whole leg but a “sock” can only go up to the calf.
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If racers were doing that then the UCI would step-in, just as they did with the aero tuck. You can’t solve everything easily with rules but it seems there is an issue to address with the direction handlebars and hood positioning has been going.
You are saying that the UCI shows up with a tape measure and the motor scanning ipads to your training crit?
In the US, only a small number of elite races are going to offer UCI points.
Not the US, but in Japan, that’s indeed how it worked. E. g. even though the road bike I had back then weighed 9.0 kg, it was weighed just like any other bike, checked for the UCI compliant sticker on the frame as well as the JCF sticker on my helmet. The organizers had two markers on the floor to check whether juniors had compliant gearing (they’d shift to the hardest gear, move the bike backwards one full revolution of the crank and check whether the distance was <= the markers).
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How is it so hard to believe that someone else has a different experience than you?
If it’s a UCI race there will be an official enforcing UCI rules. Just as USAC races have USAC officials.
Even if a UCI employee isn’t there, there’s race officials that are supposed to enforce the rules. Even if they don’t check ahead of time, they can always check after the race because they want to or someone challenges the legality of your setup.
If USAC adopts these rules (which they are inclined to do), this will affect a lot of US road races.
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USAC is already in a battle against declining membership and relevance in US cycling. If they have any common sense, they will take a “wait and see” approach to this rather than pissing off their remaining licensed riders. Pushing this rule out buys them nothing.
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I was just asking how a training crit is a UCI race. It’s a simple question. I’m not sure what your problem is. I can certainly understand that other people have different experiences.
We did gearing checks on all junior bikes. If they were using big gears (or had a cassette cog selection that would take them over the gearing) and they were spotted using it, they were DQd. And it did happen. I worries that this rule would become as common as gear checks. This was all Cat 4 to 2.
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UCI sanctioned might be the wrong terminology. Sanctioned by the national federation and abiding by UCI rules might be more correct.
But yes, that means that commissares show up, and at least bring a tape measure. I haven’t seen them checking for motors yet, but people do get disqualified for breaking the rules. Usually that is gearing limitations for those 16 and younger or riding in a style that is not within the rules.
In theory you can also be disqualified for wearing the wrong clothing, as all riders are required to wear the current years jersey of their club (unless their also riding for a professional team). Most often this will only get you a warning though.
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As far as USAC is concerned, a race is a race. Same rules. I would imagine it’s the same for UCI.
I got what you were trying to say, differentiating the sanctioned Crit itself from the training rides
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And IMO this rule was stupid. If it was in Junior race’s, ok fair. But I would be 14 racing mens categories and still be forced to follow the rules. While my competition was not. Some race’s did not even have a junior category for me to race.
If there is going to be a minimum width on the bars, then it should be based on measuring the BARS, not the hoods. Given the same bar; Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo would all provide different distances between the tips of the hoods with their different dimensions. How exactly is a handlebar manufacturer supposed to design for that?
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I emailed USAC asking about these specific rules and they said no rule changes upcoming for 2026. So we’re good for at least a year.
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It might be semantics though. I wouldn’t be surprised if they ‘adopt’ the international regulations. I’m sure that’s what most (all) other national organisations will do, rather than have two sets of rules. Without knowing the ins and outs, use Elite Nationals as an example, would it be run under UCI-compliant regs or not. If it’s not UCI-compliant there’s probably no national jersey awarded, or if there is the winner couldn’t wear it in the ProTour because it’s not a UCI-sanctioned race. Maybe?
I’m far from an expert, but wouldn’t think the UCI has much say in how various countries determine their national champions. Seems totally reasonable to me that a US national champ could win that championship on bars that aren’t UCI compliant as long as USAC doesn’t adpot those rules. So, he/she would be able to wear the stars and stripes in a UCI race, they’d just have to put wider bars on to be in that race.
I haven’t looked at USAC cycling rules in many years, but I’m pretty sure they haven’t always followed UCI exactly in the past. That said, I wasn’t looking at them through the lens of a pro/elite, but I still don’t think it’s automatic that any country has to duplicate UCI rules for those riders to then participate in UCI races. Again, I’m a bit out of my depth here and cycling rules do tend to carry an impressive level of stupidity at times, so maybe I’m way off.
I agree with your first section but legwarmers require permission from a commissaire (or atleast it used to) which bypass this technicality on races not cold enough. There was a rule about your cycling clothing not covering the knee.
Does it matter if its checked and enforced in every race if it is still against the rules? You mentioned motor scanning, does this mean you personally ride with a motor when theres no checks? Dope when you don’t think there’s testing?
At the end of the day as well the most important races there will be checks and Im not going to ride 51 weeks of the year with my ideal setup and change before the seasons big goal.
Yeah for sure, the numbers were out of thin air and it was trying to keep it on the uci’s side and just modify the rules theyve alrewdy suggested but in a way that you can pick how you have your bars. So if you have shimano levers which are more flared in you couldn’t have the narrowest option with the most flare and have your hoods turned in 10°. So you would have to have them slightly straighter. Its fine now but you would likely see shimano that are naturally super flared to try bypass this rule so it’s more about preventing that.
On this forum it seems most discussion threads turn into some sort of (exaggerating for comedic effect) “I have 50 kids and I work 20hours a day for a nickle, I am overweight and my races are around the supermarket and I hate riding my bike. This has no application to me so I have no idea why anyone would discuss it.”
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