The UCI insists on the elimination of earpieces

After conducting some tests throughout the summer in some races where the use of earpieces was not allowed, UCI President David Lappartient is convinced that cycling will be safer without them while stating that some cyclists have already asked for their elimination.

UCI argues safety in its war against earpieces

Last summer, UCI introduced some measures proposed by the safety consulting body SafeR as a test in some competitions such as Vuelta a Burgos or even in the Vuelta a España.

These measures included the introduction of yellow cards for any member of the cycling caravan who committed a rule violation that could result in their expulsion from the race and a temporary suspension; the possibility of modifying the protection zone in flat stages based on the difficulties of the route, extending up to 5 km; and, undoubtedly the most controversial, the prohibition of using earpieces that was tested in the aforementioned Vuelta a Burgos.

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After all these tests, David Lappartient is clear that, although the use of earpieces has certain advantages, their use contributes to creating greater dangers, generating anxiety in the peloton when faced with any difficulty on the route, as all directors urge their cyclists to be alert and position themselves at the front at the same time, creating real panic situations.

According to the tests conducted, races without earpieces have had fewer falls, with a good example being the World Championships, where the use of radios is not allowed and it is a race, despite the difficulties that some routes like last year's in Glasgow entail, where pile-ups are not common.

Of course, when mentioning the World Championships, it didn't take long for UCI President to be reminded of the case of Swiss rider Muriel Furrer who crashed in the last race and took more than an hour to be attended to after going off the road. Something that could easily be solved by equipping riders with GPS trackers.

David Lappartient also proposes an intermediate solution, which would be to allow the use of earpieces but tuned to Radio Vuelta, the station that informs directors of all the events happening in the competition.

The UCI President states that several riders have already asked for the elimination of earpieces, and although the majority prefer to keep them, many admit that they are a source of stress in competition. Obviously, those most against this measure are the directors, for whom the earpiece is a basic tool in defining the strategy in the race and deciding how the team should act at all times.