The lads’s peloton within the Excursion Down Underneath are having to deal with what race director Stuart O’Grady known as “a seismic shift” within the UCI laws relating to feeding riders all over the race.
Drafted on December 23, 2024 and made reliable on January 1, a brand new rule calls for organisers to put reliable feed zones each 30-40 kilometres, and groups can best feed their riders from the roadside in the ones zones. The helpers handing out bidons and musettes should grasp UCI licences and put on group clothes.
The brand new rule led to O’Grady and his organisation complications, given it come so with reference to the beginning of the race.
“We already had the tech guides printed and everything was already in place. So it’s been a big adjustment. So we’ve had to get a lot of work done behind the scenes.
“Fortunately, UCI are being versatile – we now have listened to the groups. They sought after some other one right here and there, and everybody’s simply labored in combination to verify it took place.”
The temperature was pleasant the start of stage 2 in Tanunda but even with the milder weather, the rule is a big concern for the teams who have to ensure their riders get the drinks and food they need.
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The rule was part of a broad revision to improve safety in the peloton, and restricting feeding from the roadside could avoid some danger of sudden changes in speed and dropped bidons.
O’Grady emphasised the extent of the rule change for the peloton.
“It is going to make it more secure evidently, however in sure events I suppose it’ll be fascinating.
“For me, it’s one of the biggest historical changes in cycling. It’s a seismic shift, in my opinion,” he mentioned.
“I think we can all see the pros, but you can also see the cons on how you’re going to control that. In Australia, it is a much easier environment to be able to control it. It’s going to be very interesting to see how they control it when the guys get to Europe, specifically racing in Belgium.”
Bahrain Victorious sports activities director Neil Stephens mentioned the UCI has been open to including extra feeds than what was once in the beginning deliberate.
“For example, today, we’re going up [Menglers Hill] – I’m going to have people on the top giving me information. Can we allow those people to feed? They originally said no, then we explained the reasoning and they allowed it.
“At the level to Willunga [stage 5], we are going to be in position able to feed the following lap, why cannot we do bottles the lap ahead of? So they have got simply used common sense.
“We’ve got to congratulate ourselves a little bit, the teams, because we didn’t go to them with a problem, we went with a solution. We’ve got to work together with the UCI and with the race organisers for the benefit of everybody.”
Tom Southam, sports activities director for EF Training-EasyPost, mentioned he hopes the brand new laws will give a boost to protection for the riders, however agreed that the feed zone rule is a large trade.
All through the Excursion de France, EF Training-EasyPost, he mentioned, “had bidons everywhere” – with team of workers leapfrogging the race to feed alongside the roadside so riders did not have to move from side to side from the convoy. “You could basically sit at the back of the last group [and be sure] the guys aren’t going to get thirsty. They’re not going to get dehydrated, because every X kilometres [they can get a bottle].
“Now we are going to need to do feed from the auto, after which [you have to] move the gang, and also you hammer up alternatively many kilometres an hour to get to the following man, and you have got the hammer to get to the following man.”
Daryl Impey, sports director for defending champions Israel-Premier Tech, confirmed that the teams were prepared to adapt.
“It is extra about taking a look after the riders than simply seeking to get a bonus on folks. But when that is the new usual, we’re going to all simply need to paintings with it. Then the riders should find out how it was once within the previous days and are available again [to the team car] for bottles.
XDS-Astana sports activities director Mark Renshaw wasn’t towards the feed zone laws, announcing, “It makes it easier, in one sense, because we know the points, we supply the points to the soigneurs and they go to the point, they know what to give. Whereas last year it was up to the teams to pick where and when [to feed].”
Having set zones the place the soigneurs pass to feed the riders, he mentioned, way much less logistics and no more team of workers wanted.
Protection on everybody’s thoughts
A crash all over the Excursion Down Underneath Vintage criterium knocked two riders out of the WorldTour level race (Symbol credit score: Getty Pictures)
The Excursion Down Underneath already had the subject of protection arise when there was once a large crash within the ultimate nook of the pre-race criterium. Two riders – Miles Scotson (Arkéa-B&B Accommodations) and Manilo Moro (Movistar) could not get started the level race consequently and one spectator was once hospitalised within the incident.
Whilst the organisers had altered the route in order that the solar wasn’t within the riders’ eyes and ensured the turns had been all extensive, the large build up in velocity at the ultimate lap supplied a excellent instance of ways a flip riders took 29 instances with out incident modified for the more severe at tempo.
Michael Rogers, who now works with Lidl-Trek’s control, up to now was once the UCI’s Head of Innovation and Esport and led the federation’s protection initiative known as SafeR, which he mentioned was once a “huge step forward”. Then again, protection has no longer most likely stored tempo with the speedy adjustments in professional biking.
“The sport is just evolving so fast. When you look at the investment in the sport in general globally, probably 90% of that has gone into increasing performance and technology.
“The protection aspect of it has possibly lagged somewhat, and you have got the sort of huge vary of organizers – there are some full-time skilled organizations. However at the different aspect, there also are glorious folks at some races that volunteer all their time and it isn’t a qualified group. To make the ones all in unison, that is truly tough.”
Rogers mentioned that protection is an “extraordinarily advanced subject” and “it is tough to control your method out of this,” but said education will be key. “I have been out for a short time, however, , it feels find it irresistible’s beginning to come in combination.”
Meanwhile, the onus is on the teams and riders of the Tour Down Under to adapt to the new rules.
There have been two crashes in two races so far this season, and both were in the final kilometres where riders are fighting for the win.
“I do not understand how to forestall it,” Southam said. “We do not need a secure stadium.
“You can do all the measures you want, but the fact of the matter is, the pressure is always going to be there.”
