[SPORT] Changes to professional cycling safety rules announced

[WilkerCSBD]

(CNN Spanish) - The International Cycling Union (UCI) officially presented this Thursday the new safety rules that will govern all its international competitions in women's and men's professional cycling.

The UCI added that the new rules have been accepted and were composed by all parts of international cycling: race organizers, professional teams and cyclists.

“These measures, detailed and explained in the guide published today, obey two fundamental principles: first, the absolute need for cyclist safety, and the duty of our sport to set an example to the public, especially young cyclists and women. communities, ”says the statement.

The new safety measures come after a year of investigation by an independent service provider that analyzed a database of incidents on the official UCI calendar of women's and men's races.

Some of the new rules have been effective immediately and others will start from April 1 of this year.

The most striking change are the postures of the cyclists on their cycles. From now on there are 4 positions that are prohibited in professional cycling and that were very seen in races.

The cyclist will no longer be able to adopt the anti-clockwise cycle position in a normal cycle, that is, taking the aerodynamic position that a cyclist usually has in a chrono cycle is prohibited.

Top three most-viewed postures during key points-scoring stages, such as sitting on the frame tube, pushing your body onto the handlebars for more momentum and speed, and pulling your body back from the saddle upon arrival to the finish line are permanently prohibited for safety.

Among the biggest safety changes in the races, the installations of barriers for fans stand out, which will now have to be all attached to the ground and it will be prohibited to install barriers between the barriers.

The barriers located at the finish line also change. From now on, the barriers will not have open spaces in the goal arch and the cameramen and photographers will not be able to be located immediately at the end of the finish line.

The final stretch will have a judge with a yellow flag to indicate that the riders have reached the final stretch and that the road will become narrow.

The motorcyclists with cameras for the transmission of the races will always have to be five meters away from the cyclists and to pass the groups of cyclists they will always have to pass through the left lane.

Previously, cyclists could throw their water cans anywhere when they run out of liquids, this will no longer be the case. The cyclists will have specific areas to dump the cans and receive new cans and food.

The UCI has also sti[CENSORED]ted penalties for not following these new safety rules that start at 2,000 euros up to 50,000 euros. Also the rider or the team could be disqualified for not following the new safety rules.