Jon Cannings: Some rules and regulations are there to protect the riders in racers. Some are
there to ensure the safety of the spectators, but there are many, many rules that just don't really
have a reason at all. Don't really know why they are there. In stage five of the Tour de France,
Julian Alaphilippe was given a 20-second time bounty, thus losing the yellow jersey because his
lead over a British rider, Adam Yates, was just a slender four seconds. But why? Julian Alaphilippe
took a feed 17.5 kilometers from the finish. Doesn't sound serious, does it? Actually, feeding
within the last 20 kilometers is forbidden. It's a rule that's there, and we don't really know why.
For more race analysis, you should definitely check out The Breakway
over on the GCN app. We thought for this video, we would trawl through the rulebook, find out the
rules and regulations so hopefully, we can get some more strange ones to inform Alaphilippe,
so he doesn't make the same mistake. [music]
In 2015 in the Giro d'Italia, you may remember Richie Porte puncturing close to the finish. With
no teammates around, he turned to Simon Clark. With a fantastic show of sportsmanship, Simon
gave off his own wheel to allow Porte to race, helping his friend and fellow countrymen. Now,
yes, I hear you, doff your cap and say chapeau. Even in social media, it was lauded and praised.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the race jury really did drop the rulebook on poor Richie Porte,
giving him a two-minute time penalty, thus ruling him out of contention in that race.
He later on abandoned the race, but it does make you think, with a sport that relies so heavily
on teamwork and camaraderie, you would think, we would just let it go. Even if it was offered
from a rider on a rival team. [music]
One of the most well-known rules in the world of cycling. 23 years ago, this rule was put in place
to prevent riders from making their bikes too light and unsafe, but that was 23 years ago.
Technology has changed. Yes, bikes are infinitely stronger and safer than they used to be,
but some riders have fallen foul of this very rule. Poor Frenchman Peter Pouly
was stripped of his victory at the Tour de Banyuwangi back in 2016. Peter took a spare
bike that had a slight different specification on it, thus, riding a bike that was too light.
The race jury took it upon themselves to invoke rule number 12.1.013. Unlucky to some.
Ah, yes, the infamous UCI sock rule. Rule number 1.3.033. It states, "Socks
and shoes used in competition may not rise above the height defined by the
half distance between the middle of the lateral malleolus and the middle of the fibular head."
Basically, you can't have your socks over halfway up your calf, thus giving a pro an aerodynamic
advantage by having more aerodynamically optimized material covering their body.
On top of the absurdity of this rule, it seems like quite a hard rule to enforce.
Connoisseurs rocking around the race pits checking the sock length with calipers to
make sure they fit in with the regulations. We think back to the World Championships last year,
where Remco Evenepoel turned up with socks that were just too long. He was asked to roll them down
only to start the race, rolled down the ramp, and pulled them straight back up. It does seem a
little bit ludicrous, doesn't it? Or it's just me? [music]
Now it might surprise you but you are actually allowed to walk
in a race, bearing in mind, you've got your bicycle. It doesn't happen that often,
but you might remember Chris Froome running up Mont Ventoux too. He got hit off his bike by a
race motorbike and then had his bike run over. The race jury were actually sympathetic this
time in letting Chris off, but it's something that should not be risked. Chris could have been landed
with a very, very hefty time penalty. [music]
Now this one could be a controversial one to add to our list of cycling's stupidest
rule. Not least because it's not actually a rule that is enforced by the officials or the cycling
UCI. This is a long-standing rule but it's unwritten and it is in pro cycling.
It is if there is a big crash in the peloton, that riders wouldn't launch an attack and benefit
from their rivals' misfortune, but it is that it's unwritten. So it's open to interpretation. If
you've got some pros who are maybe not well versed in cycling etiquette, they could take advantage.
On stage 19 of the 2019 Vuelta a España, there was a massive pile-up in the peloton just 65
kilometers from the finish, involving race leader Primož Roglič and also
higher up in the overall standings, Miguel Ángel López who is sitting fourth. Now before they had
even time to get on their bikes, Movistar's Alejandro Valverde and also Nairo Quintana,
who is sitting second and third overall, hit the front driving the pace to try,
and I guess, take advantage over Primož Roglič while he was sat on the floor to try and get the
race leader's jersey benefiting off that accident. Let's just say Movistar didn't make many friends
that day. Just a day later, he was served some karma with Tadej
Pogačar winning stage 20 and knocking poor Nairo Quintana off that final
podium. [music]
Road cyclists can get the fun taken out of them for some of the silly things they may
wear. Did you know there was a rule that says what you can and can't wear to sign on? The UCI,
to say the least, are pretty strict. Teams are given time slots where they should arrive at the
pre-race sign-on. They leave their bus, arrive at sign-on, do their scroll to create a bit of
a spectacle for the eagerly-awaiting crowd that have been waiting patiently to see the stars. If
you don't, any failure to do so, you can be landed with a 500 Swiss franc fine, and on top of that,
a 20 UCI point deduction. Pretty hefty. Did you know you could get a fine on what you
wear when you come to sign on? Think back to the UAE Tour back in 2019 where Bahrain-McLaren turned
up in a team issue shirt in shorts. They then got handed a fine because it was non-competition wear,
meaning they have to turn up in their lycra hours and hours before the race even starts. Meaning
more shammy time but I guess they did win out in the end because shammy time is training time.
I don't think they think it like that, but anyway. Every year we're reminded of some of the silly
rules that seemed to take the freedom and fun out of our sport. They never seem to change, do
they? If we've missed some absolute bangers, some corkers, then you know what to do. Let us know in
that comment section below. If you've enjoyed this video, then make sure you give it a big thumbs up.
I'll see you in the next video. [00:08:16] [END OF AUDIO]