UCI President David Lappartient accused Team Visma Lease-a-Bike boss Richard Plugge of spreading pretend information final night time in response to the Dutch staff’s boss criticising a staff radio ban being trialled on the Tour de Pologne.
The Polish WorldTour occasion is one in all two UCI stage races, alongside final week’s Vuelta a Burgos, to trial a restriction on radio or ‘earpieces’ communication throughout sure phases.
According to the UCI, the trial will restrict the knowledge riders obtain from their staff automobiles and directeur sportifs mid-race, encouraging them to make tactical choices on the bike, whereas additionally staying alert to any security hazards.
However, Plugge believes the trial has turned races “into a whole farce.”
He voiced his opinion on X (formerly Twitter) after photos surfaced of an injured rider on the WorldTour race mendacity on the roadside with out medical consideration.
The 54-year-old described the state of affairs as “chaos”, including that the UCI ought to reduce quick their trial scheme. He continued: “We noticed within the Olympics the place riders can not name the automobile for fundamental help (in case of a mechanical).
“Hopefully, nobody was too badly damage in the present day.”
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It comes only a week after riders competing within the Paris Olympics street races – an occasion the place race radios have by no means been used – had blended reactions to racing with out fixed staff automobile communication.
While there have been situations of riders struggling to flag down their help automobile after a mechanical, many riders praised the kind of racing it serves up. Women’s street race silver medallist Marianne Vos admitted: “you must suppose by yourself, in order that makes it attention-grabbing.”
Hi Richard,You are caught within the act of faux information! Today’s crashes on the @tourdepologne don’t have anything to do with the absence of radios and you recognize it. The riders have been taken care of based on requirements.Our precedence on the @UCI_cycling is security. You wish to maintain the radios… https://t.co/C9CDWS8IzUAugust 14, 2024
In response to Plugge’s feedback, UCI chief Lappartient was adamant that the Dutchman was attempting to push his personal agenda.
“You are caught within the act of faux information! Today’s crashes on the Tour de Pologne don’t have anything to do with the absence of radios and you recognize it,” he retorted.
Lappartient went on to state that the riders in query “have been taken care of based on requirements” and that biking’s governing physique’s key precedence is security.
The Frenchman then accused Plugge of wanting to maintain staff radios for tactical makes use of and never for security precautions, insisting the staff boss “take accountability for it!”
He rounded out his response by calling for Plugge to “proceed working collectively!” in a bid to maintain the peace and discover an amicable resolution to the problem.
Hours after Lappartient’s response, EF Education-EasyPost common supervisor Jonathan Vaughters weighed into the talk, including “I’m with Richard.”