"It's a shame that only those who have a wind tunnel or a helmet costing thousands can win" - Brian Holm believes rising costs of cycling tech are hurting the sport

The fight for marginal gains within the World Tour peloton is increasingly becoming something of an arms race as rivals teams look to outdo each other and gain a potentially vital edge. In the process though, the costs of the newest tech and equipment are rising and rising, potentially causing a big financial disparity within the peloton.

Because of this, Danish cycling legend Brian Holm, who has seen multiple sides of the development of cycling tech as both a rider and sports director over the years, has felt it right to deliver a stark warning about the future of the sport. "If you take the Danish time trial. There are many young people who say: 'We don't have a helmet for 15,000 or this for 12,000. We don't have the expensive suit or the right bike'. So they stay away," begins the 62-year-old on the latest episode of the Cafe Eddy podcast. "It's a bit of a shame that it ends up costing the tip of a jet fighter."

Holm also warns that more than just the financial disparity this growing costs threaten to cause, there is also a tangible mental risk at play. "There's also something psychological about it. If you're racing and it hurts, there's a time when a little voice tells you when it really hurts: ‘I'm also riding on the wrong equipment’. So then you ride a little slower," he concludes. "So it's a bit of a shame that the trend is that only those who have a wind tunnel or a helmet costing thousands can win."