The UCI is ridiculous.
The narrow handlebar and ultra-long stem and bike frame market just got a boost.
Part of me wants to think it’s just about old-timey cyclists wanting it to look like the good-old days forever.
The more cynical part of me thinks that numbers 1 and 2 are closely related.
This was so stupid I didn’t believe it when I first read it.
I’m still holding out hope that it’s all an elaborate April Fools joke. (it’s not.)
These things should be banned they add unnecessary risk to the sport. Especially since amateurs copy them. Bravo UCI!
“UCI bans power meters and heart rate monitors, out of worry that amateurs will train hard”
Have any crash data to support this?
I can think of exactly zero crashes I’ve ever seen caused by either supertucking or elbows on bars.
I can think of countless crashes from folks riding in still-approved positions under normal racing
and training conditions.
Starting April 1st??? 
Is cycling still a sport, or are we now just watching a cycling exhibition?
Plenty of stuff is dangerous. The hunched over position is less safe than the upright MTB/enduro position. The smaller contact patch of the tires increases braking distance vs larger volume tires. Rim brakes and carbon rims in the rain? Oh hell no. Mandatory upper speed limit of 40kph tops on any descent. No riding without hands either.
Are you talking about in pro races or just in general? I’ve seen someone crash super tucking before on a group ride. Got their bibs caught on the nose of the saddle, was ugly to see. Took a few people out.
Amateur racing and group ride it doesn’t belong for sure. Pros, well I don’t care since it doesn’t affect me.
Hmmmm…while I agree with your point that there have been no crashes caused by either supertuck of “puppy paws” positions, this is a bit of a logical fallacy, I think. It sets up a false equivalence between the banned positions and “normal” riding positions. Riding in a “normal” position is not the cause of the crashes you mention.
Agree re: false equiv. But if the UCI is banning things, it would certainly seem more useful to ban things that have any evidence whatsoever of having ever caused injury to riders in their fields.
Technical descents. Technical final 5k of any course. Flat sprint finishes. TT’s in the rain. Rainy racing in general. Round-a-bouts & pelotons. All of which with even a cursory watch of any Tour, you’ll have seen result in crashes.
On a bit of a random related tangent, if the UCI are “banning” positions, I wish they’d ban the holding onto the top of the shock stanchions in MTB racing. It’s particularly prevalent in the women’s field, and I can’t stand the idea of young girls (my daughter!?) seeing that and thinking it’s safe/fast.
(I actually don’t think it looks any more aerodynamic, it’d be interesting to know for sure)
I’d argue power meters and hrms actually stop people overtraining than under training. Easy to see when you’re creeping.
On a different note re:hands on the bars, Ganna will be happy!
Time to bring back Spinaci bars!
things still not banned or dealt with that have caused actual injuries; motos
I just built up an old frame into a trainer bike and installed my old 3T Tiramisu bars on it!
I’m happy to see both of these banned in amateur racing/ group rides. But in pro racing? Pointless, unless you’re trying to eliminate the bad example it sets for weekend warriors. I’ve seen both cause crashes in local races and rides but never in a pro setting.
To me this is far less about the risk this causes the pros than the risk it causes junior and amateur racers. Like others have posted, I can’t think of a single instance of a crash from the super tuck or this position in a professional race.
That said, if this is banned at the top levels there is immediately a lesser incentive for lower level racers to use these positions. Hopefully this will trickle down to USAC and other governing bodies to help improve safety there, where it actually does cause problems.
As to whether or not there are more important safety concerns for the UCI to be pursuing…undoubtedly. That doesn’t make these insignificant or not worth pursuing, it just shows the typical hypocrisy of the UCI.
All that said - I don’t hate either of these new bans and am unsure why anyone else would either. While they don’t impact safety at the professional level, they also don’t impact competitiveness at the professional level, and if we can have a net neutral competition change that may actually impact safety for non-professional riders I don’t see that as a bad thing
This is the best reply I’ve heard.
I’d still love to see data showing that either of these is a problem in the junior or amateur level racing.