The males’s peloton within the Tour Down Under are having to deal with what race director Stuart O’Grady referred to as “a seismic shift” within the UCI laws concerning feeding riders through the race.
Drafted on December 23, 2024 and made official on January 1, a brand new rule requires organisers to put official feed zones each 30-40 kilometres, and groups can solely feed their riders from the roadside in these zones. The helpers handing out bidons and musettes should maintain UCI licences and put on crew clothes.
The new rule brought about O’Grady and his organisation complications, given it come so near the beginning of the race.
“It was a really late regulation change, which has a large influence on us being the primary WorldTour occasion,” O’Grady instructed Cyclingnews earlier than the beginning of stage 2.
“We already had the tech guides printed and all the pieces was already in place. So it has been an enormous adjustment. So we have needed to get a whole lot of work executed behind the scenes.
“Luckily, UCI are being versatile – we have listened to the groups. They wished one other one right here and there, and everybody’s simply labored collectively to verify it occurred.”
The temperature was nice the beginning of stage 2 in Tanunda however even with the milder climate, the rule is an enormous concern for the groups who’ve to make sure their riders get the drinks and meals they want.
The newest race content material, interviews, options, critiques and knowledgeable shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
The rule was a part of a broad revision to enhance security within the peloton, and limiting feeding from the roadside might keep away from some hazard of sudden modifications in velocity and dropped bidons.
O’Grady emphasised the extent of the rule change for the peloton.
“It’s going to make it safer for certain, however in sure events I assume it’ll be attention-grabbing.
“For me, it is one of many greatest historic modifications in biking. It’s a seismic shift, for my part,” he stated.
“I believe we will all see the professionals, however you may as well see the cons on how you are going to management that. In Australia, it’s a a lot simpler surroundings to have the ability to management it. It’s going to be very attention-grabbing to see how they management it when the blokes get to Europe, particularly racing in Belgium.”
Bahrain Victorious sports activities director Neil Stephens stated the UCI has been open to including extra feeds than what was initially deliberate.
“What we have stated to the UCI is, if it is accessible, if it is simple, and nobody’s going to be rushing, nobody’s going to be placing the folks in hassle, why not? Let’s do it,” Stephens instructed Cyclingnews.
“For instance, as we speak, we’re going up [Menglers Hill] – I’m going to have folks on the highest giving me data. Can we enable these folks to feed? They initially stated no, then we defined the reasoning and so they allowed it.
“On the stage to Willunga [stage 5], we will be in place able to feed the subsequent lap, why cannot we do bottles the lap earlier than? So they’ve simply used logic.
“We’ve bought to congratulate ourselves a little bit bit, the groups, as a result of we did not go to them with an issue, we went with an answer. We’ve set to work along with the UCI and with the race organisers for the advantage of everyone.”
Tom Southam, sports activities director for EF Education-EasyPost, stated he hopes the brand new guidelines will improve security for the riders, however agreed that the feed zone rule is an enormous change.
“I believe everyone want to see it work. We should adapt. We’ve bought younger riders who’ve by no means come to the automobile for a bottle,” Southam instructed Cyclingnews. The feed zones may work to gradual the race down “a little bit bit, however you double the work of the automobiles going round” to service riders between feed zones.
During the Tour de France, EF Education-EasyPost, he stated, “had bidons in every single place” – with workers leapfrogging the race to feed alongside the roadside so riders did not should shuttle from the convoy. “You might principally sit behind the final group [and be sure] the blokes aren’t going to get thirsty. They’re not going to get dehydrated, as a result of each X kilometres [they can get a bottle].
“Now we will should do feed from the automobile, after which [you have to] move the group, and also you hammer up nonetheless many kilometres an hour to get to the subsequent man, and you’ve got the hammer to get to the subsequent man.”
Daryl Impey, sports activities director for defending champions Israel-Premier Tech, confirmed that the groups had been ready to adapt.
“It’s extra about taking care of the riders than simply making an attempt to get a bonus on folks. But if that is the brand new customary, we’ll all simply should work with it. Then the riders must be taught the way it was 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 guidelines, saying, “It makes it simpler, in a single sense, as a result of we all know the factors, we provide the factors to the soigneurs and so they go to the purpose, they know what to present. Whereas final 12 months it was as much as the groups to select the place and when [to feed].”
Having set zones the place the soigneurs go to feed the riders, he stated, means much less logistics and fewer workers wanted.
Safety on everybody’s thoughts
The Tour Down Under already had the subject of security come up when there was an enormous crash within the last nook of the pre-race criterium. Two riders – Miles Scotson (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Manilo Moro (Movistar) could not begin the stage race because of this and one spectator was hospitalised within the incident.
While the organisers had altered the course in order that the solar wasn’t within the riders’ eyes and ensured the turns had been all vast, the huge enhance in velocity on the ultimate lap offered a very good instance of how 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 administration, beforehand was the UCI’s Head of Innovation and Esport and led the federation’s security initiative referred to as SafeR, which he stated was a “big step ahead”. However, security has not maybe saved tempo with the speedy modifications in professional biking.
“The sport is simply evolving so quick. When you take a look at the funding within the sport basically globally, in all probability 90% of that has gone into growing efficiency and know-how.
“The security facet of it has possibly lagged a bit, and you’ve got such an enormous vary of organizers – there are some full-time skilled organizations. But on the opposite facet, there are additionally fantastic folks at some races that volunteer all their time and it isn’t knowledgeable group. To make these all in unison, that is actually troublesome.”
Rogers stated that security is an “extraordinarily advanced matter” and “it is troublesome to control your means out of this,” however stated schooling shall be key. “I’ve been out for a short while, however, , it feels prefer it’s beginning to come collectively.”
Meanwhile, the onus is on the groups and riders of the Tour Down Under to adapt to the brand new guidelines.
There have been two crashes in two races thus far this season, and each had been within the last kilometres the place riders are preventing for the win.
“I do not know the right way to cease it,” Southam stated. “We haven’t got a secure stadium.
“You can do all of the measures you need, however the reality of the matter is, the strain is at all times going to be there.”