UCI bans saddle sawing and lip filing. Really.

Graeme Obree’s biopic The Flying Scotsman gets its UK cinema release today. In the movie the UCI is portrayed as the stern, Teutonic, unbending WCF, the World Cycling Federation. There’s a comical scene where Obree is shown sawing his saddle to meet new WCF tech regs. Well, blow me down, here’s life imitating art…

FROM THE UCI:

To: UCI Teams, National Federations, Road International Commissaries

Aigle, 25 June 2007.
Remarks concerning the technical rules of the UCI –

Two points of the technical rules were specified but without modifying the regulations which exist since the year 2000. It deals with both the following articles:

- Article 1.3.002 refers to the quality standards for the race bicycles, what means that the equipment
which is used was subjected to a series of resistance and safety tests. The norm suggests that the
standardized and identified equipment cannot be modified later on. The actions which consist of,
among other things and for example, sawing the peaks of the saddles or filing the safety catches out
of the forks are irresponsible acts in terms of safety. By referring to the standards, the UCI wishes to
put all the people interested in front of their responsibilities.

Watch the MGM trailer for one of the acts the UCI is so adamant to stamp out:

This is the US trailer. Get the UK trailer in a more hi-res format at iTunes .

The UCI also wants to make sure the ‘Mantis position’ is stamped out once and for all:

- Article 1.3.023 is not modified. The diagram which illustrates article 1.3.023 is very clear. The article says that an extension may be added (the diagram - structure 1b – shows that the extension is in the horizontal plane) and that a support for the elbows or forearms is permitted.

When the extension is raised, the elbows (or forearms) become points of support, which is never
permitted and which is justified by safety ergonomic considerations.

On the other hand, the hand position (the point of support, not to be confused with the extension itself
– see diagram - structure 1b -) can be flat (on the extension), raised or even straight depending on the technique used provided that it remains under the horizontal line B in the diagram structure 1b.

To illustrate this explanation, we enclose a picture of a time trial bicycle which complies with the
regulation: the extension is in the horizontal plane; if the extension was raised, the elbows (or
forearms) would give the rider an extra point of support, which is not permitted. On the other hand, the position of the handles (for hand position) is free.

If you have any question or doubt about those points, don’t hesitate to ask me and I will try to help
you.

Thank you.

Jean Wauthier
UCI Technical Adviser

I’ve called Jean Wauthier today to find out if this statement – first seen here – is genuine or a very clever parody. Unfortunately, he’s in a meeting all day.