Radio chaos at World Championships "a learning experience" for UCI who look towards minimal changes

The World Championships and Olympic Road Races do not feature race radios for the riders, unlike the entire pro calendar throughout the year, making it a different experience for the peloton, one that has been widely commented in the past week.

The UCI's director of sport Peter van den Abeele told Sporza:  “In the short term, little will change. The current president, David Lappartient, is also not in favor of turning it back. If there are no ear pieces, a rider has to rely more on his impulses and is less guided by instructions from the support car. It should make the race more attractive. You create more chaos, in the healthy sense of that word."

Following the men's Elite Road Race in Wollongong riders - at least Christophe Laporte, Michael Matthews and Wout van Aert, respectively second, third and fourth in the race - commented on how they had no idea for what position they were sprinting for. That left many to wonder if the race would've headed a different direction, whilst Remco Evenepoel took advantage of the confusion to sprint to the win. The same situation had been observed in the 2021 Olympics where Annemiek van Vleuten celebrated her second place, unknown that Anna Kiesenhoffer had survived from the day's breakaway to take a shock win.

“On the other hand, the safety of the rider should not suffer. At the world championships or Olympic Games, where we mainly race on a closed circuit, that safety is easier to check," van den Abeele continued. “As long as competitions are held on a closed circuit, it is acceptable because the safety risks are lower. On an open circuit it is completely different, there we are in favor of the earphones for safety.”

The instructions given by the UCI are hence unlikely to change, with race radios remaining out of the World Championships. However, he admits possible adjustements: “What has happened now is also a learning experience for us. You have to make an evaluation after every race and possibly adjust things in the next one."

He's also pointed towards something that needs to be improved. “The operation of the so-called ardoisier was not good at all in Australia. That is why we have already made the decision within the UCI to recruit people with experience for the upcoming world championships," van den Abeele pointed out. 

“We could also increase communication by using electronic boards in the feeding zones, on which the riders can see who is where in the race. By the way, that is already done under the finish arc, where the difference between the leader and the riders is shown," he concluded.